A public housing press
conference was held.

Companies and employees in
the Taichung City Precision
Machinery Innovation
Technology Park will be the
first to benefit from the public
housing project.

High-quality, affordable, ideally located: Taichung's ingredients for happy public housing

Words by Chen Yu-hsiu Translated by Angel Pu
Photos provided by Economic Development Bureau of Taichung City Government

If you happen to work in the Taichung City Precision Machinery Innovation Technology Park, here's some good news for you: Taichung City Government is introducing public housing for the first time. In addition to being priced below normal market value, this new housing is also located near the technology park. Furthermore, as the government is supervising construction, Taichung residents interested in buying these homes will not have to worry about quality.

To fully utilize land in the Taichung City Precision Machinery Innovation Technology Park, Taichung City Government Economic Development Bureau Director Wang Dan-sheng has come up with a host of ideas. He noticed that while there were dormitories for high-level supervisors, foreign technical advisors and foreign laborers, there was no housing for local employees. Therefore, the city government decided to develop a plan to create public housing for them in the technology park in what will be the city's first public housing.

First priority for technology park workers
The city government selected a 5,983-square-meter parcel of land in the technology park for public housing, with construction open for public bidding. The plan calls for homes for 200 households and the price per ping (approx. 3.3 square meters) will not exceed NT$120,000. The first floor of these buildings will have a full range of public and commercial-use facilities, with all homes above the second floor and costing NT$4.2 million (115.7 square meters) and NT$5.76 million (158.6 square meters). There will also be 20 homes reserved for rentals. Whether homes are rented or sold, technology park employees will receive first priority.

According to Director Wang, there are about 12,000 local workers employed at the Taichung City Precision Machinery Innovation Technology Park, with the Economic Development Bureau actively recruiting additional high-quality business occupants in order to stimulate the market. When the park's second stage is completed, it will employ approximately 20,000-plus employees. When considering their welfare, finding a good place to live is top priority. Setting aside almost 0.6 hectares of land for this project means that employees and their families who don't have their own houses will be taken care of, saving them much time, effort and transportation costs otherwise spent commuting to and from work.

The "Happiness Public Housing for Workers" is located next to the Nantun district technology park and National Freeway No. 3, and is about a 10-minute drive to the 7th Redevelopment Zone and downtown areas. Living convenience is also ideal, as Wenshan Elementary School, Ling Tung University, Ling Tung shopping district, various parks and parking lots are also in the vicinity, meaning that residents will not have to worry about shopping or schools for their kids.

High-quality housing promotes happy families
If you qualify as a "first-time home buyer" and employed in the technology park, the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Finance are also offering preferential mortgage plans, so that mortgage payments will only make up one-third of a monthly salary, helping to ease the financial burden a bit.

For this construction project, the budget for building materials is about NT$75,000 per ping, with the sale price only NT$120,000 per ping, making it a very attractive offer for workers and their families. According to the city government, this development is only the beginning, as there will be more public housing projects launched by the government in the future.

Mayor Jason Hu stressed that the city government had carefully set-out criteria for construction companies interested in bidding for the project. City officials will ensure that the budget does not exceed limits, and will also supervise construction so that residents don't need to worry about the quality of their new homes. If the construction company fails to follow the guidelines, it faces possible fines or, worse, loss of the project. Building good housing is the first priority for the city government.

Workers able to enjoy their own, guaranteed-quality homes
The Economic Development Bureau is requesting that the bid-winning construction company submits a "construction quality plan" that mandates that the company guarantee the quality of its work. The company will also have to complete its license-application process within 14 months of the contract signing, meaning that qualified park employees can apply for affordable, high-quality "Happiness Public Housing" near their workplace by the end of next year at the soonest.

The city government also hopes that the relevant construction company will perform high-quality work with a good conscience for fulfilling its social responsibility. It is hopeful that this unprecedented "Happiness Public Housing" project will make everyone--the government, construction company and workers--truly happy.

The "Happiness Public Housing for Workers" is noted within the yellow blocks.