State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority said Monday it will build a 34.55-hectare affordable, multi-tenure and climate-resilient housing project at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
The housing program, to be divided into five phases, will feature a river park, town center, community square, sports park, pocket parks and mixed-use residential and commercial developments that will be connected to bus rapid transit and metro rail transit systems.
BCDA held a market sounding webinar last month to discuss with and gather the insights of prospective local developers regarding the master plan, feasibility study and business case for the housing project.
“Our aim for this project is to build affordable housing under an inclusive, safe and sustainable community for future residents of New Clark City. After more than a year of planning the master plan and preparing the feasibility study as well as the business case, we are ready to present this to you. We aim to start constructing this project by the first half of 2023,” BCDA senior vice president Joshua Bingcang.
The housing program is targeted to have a wide range of residents, including government locators and private employees. Residents of the nearby municipalities of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac, and Mabalacat and Angeles City in Pampanga are also eyed as prospective homeowners. Alena Mae S. Flores
“Our vision here is to develop the concept of a modern, grassroots village and expand it to create a community for a broader target group, ensuring it has something to offer to everyone irrespective of age, background, income, location, and career aspirations,” said Bingcang.
“The pilot housing community will be a safe and vibrant place providing affordable homes within an attractive neighborhood where people live, work, shop and play. It will cater to both local residents and communities and new families moving to New Clark City and its wider region,” he said.
With New Clark City as one of the pilot areas of the Global Future Cities Program of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the affordable housing strategy is being designed to showcase how the existing community can be integrated within the new metropolis.
GFC of the UK FCDO is an ODA technical assistance program that supports sustainable and inclusive urban development in 10 countries and 19 cities across the world.
BCDA in September 2020 signed a memorandum of understanding with the British Embassy Manila for the design of a central park and affordable housing and the creation of a sustainability unit in New Clark City.