Rosário: Despite building progress, Zone A plan is not final

Although work is being done on the 138 hectares of reclaimed land that was named New Urban Zone A, its urban plan is awaiting finalization, stressed Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário.
New Urban Zone A, which is expected to house nearly 100,000 people, had its “draft plan” unveiled to members of the parliament yesterday. The briefing session was presided over by Rosário. The premier of the draft plan was shown to not only to lawmakers, but also the media.
According to the draft plan, the 2,500 meter by 650 meter New Urban Zone A will be mostly a residential district, with about 30% of land used for housing purposes, while about 28% will be used for greenery and public open areas. In addition, nearly 20% of the land will be used for roads.
Rosário disclosed that the construction of public housings will commence from 2022 to 2024, adding that it would normally take five years to conclude the construction of one housing project.
Although the government reserved quite a large area for cultural facilities in the first plan, which it described as “a new icon for Macau,” the facilities will only take up about 5% of the 138 hectares of completely reclaimed land.
Most high-rise buildings will be built in the northern half of the zone, and will decline in height from north to south. This is to abide by aviation regulations and allow sufficient clearance for flights entering and leaving Macau.
The reclaimed land’s main road network will be made up of three latitudinal roads and two longitudinal ones.
Seeking Beijing’s approval, the government has the thought of reclaiming the waterway between the Zone A and the main peninsula. The section of waterway starts in the north from the Oriental Pearl to the southern edge of the Main Reservoir.
If the government gets a green light, the reclaimed waterway will be used to make two large parks, similar to the Art Garden running between the Grand Lapa Hotel and the Ferreira do Amaral Plaza. Similarly, roads will run through the parks to connect the new zones with the main city.
Three Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations, three public transportation transit hubs, one public bus terminus and at least one gas station will be built in the zone. “Public parking lots will be built under the ground of most, if not all, public housing buildings,” Rosário said. There will also be a government health center.
Commercial activities will be conducted both on and underground. It was revealed that there will be several underground shopping districts, as the LRT stations will be underground. There will also be a school village housing several schools.
The government is confident that the zone will not be too densely populated. Compared with the current population density of 140,000 people/km2 in Areia Preta, Iao Hon and Hipodromo combined, Zone A will have about 55,000 people/km2.
As the Secretary mentioned about underground parking lots, lawmaker Agnes Lam was concerned about the risk flooding during typhoon or rainstorm for the and the zone in general. She used Typhoon Hato, which struck Macau three years ago, to illustrate her question. Lam asked if the government has made plans for counter-crisis measures or facilities.
In response, Rosário said that such facilities are “not needed.” He explained that the new reclamation followed new criteria. For example, the coastline of the zone is 6.5 m above sea level, which “[was designed] against the standards for a once-in-100-years typhoon,” said the Secretary. In contrast, Pier 23 in the Inner Harbor measures only 2.3 m above sea level.
In addition, following recommendations made by a group of Chinese counter-crisis experts who said that a higher standard should be used to guard against a ‘once-in-200-years’ typhoon, the government is studying the proposal.
“You can be assured that counter-crisis facilities are not needed,” the Secretary said to Lam.
Build-Operate-Transfer is a popular mode of infrastructure in many places around the world. In this mode, the government designate a developer, usually through a tender, to construct the project. The developer will be given a certain period of rights of operation before transferring the project back to the government.
Considering the huge investment into the zone, lawmaker Pereira Coutinho is concerned about the financial burden.
Secretary Rosário replied that it is not necessary because the subsidized housing will eventually be purchased, which generates income for the government. Although the government will not make a profit out of the housing projects, they should break even.
On the other hand, lawmaker Ho Ion Sang is worried about whether the road network can handle the large number of residents expected in the zone. The official said that the Fourth Macau-Taipa Bridge will have three entrances and exits, connecting the main bridge with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Border Checkpoint, the current Exterior Harbor District, as well as Zone A.
Ho was also concerned the absence of a hospital in the zone may cause the deferment of timely medical attention. Rosário cited the Health Bureau’s ability to handle medical issues through the relatively large health center.
Lawmaker Leong Sun Iok asked about a cycling trail, and Rosário replied that if Beijing approves the reclamation of the waterway, there will be a cycling trail.