28-03-2012 Changes to hotel and land development regulations

Everything is changing in hotel and land development

There is no end to the amendments to the New Building Regulations. Yesterday afternoon, the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change made 33 pages of changes, altering everything and giving incentives for the construction of hotel units, differentiating the rules for calculating semi-open spaces in the building coefficient, and introducing changes to the way plots of land are utilized. Specifically:

For hotels, it is stipulated that the first basement floor, where sports facilities (swimming pools, gyms, saunas) and multipurpose rooms are located, will not be included in the building coefficient.

In addition, the extension of basements for plots of up to 300 square meters will be permitted up to the boundaries of the plot.
In the case of plots ranging from 300 m² to 600 m², basements may be extended beyond the building’s footprint by up to 50% of the uncovered area. When the required parking spaces cannot be provided on the first basement floor of these plots, the extension of all basement floors up to 80% of the uncovered area will be permitted. On these plots, it will be permitted to purchase the spaces that are not provided for, up to 15% of the total.
On plots with an area greater than 600 sq. m. may be permitted to extend the basements outside of the perimeter of the roof of the building up to 50% of the uncovered area however it is not be permitted the purchase of parking spaces.

With regard to balconies and semi-open spaces, when their total surface area is less than or equal to 40% of the surface area that may be built on the plot, they will not be included in the building coefficient.
However, the percentage only of semi-open-air those who do not be counted in the building coefficient does not be able to exceed the 20% of permitted building.

The new OK also introduces a new term: “building space openings.” These are any gaps in the ceiling of the top floor in each location, as well as gaps in all walls, which either remain free or are closed with opening or fixed frames and are used for communication between spaces or with the outdoors, or for natural lighting and ventilation of spaces, or for solar heat storage.

In addition, urban planning incentives are provided, such as an increase in the building coefficient (from 10 to 25%), under certain conditions such as a corresponding percentage reduction in the permitted coverage ratio or the allocation of public common use space equal to the increase in building space, etc. These can be applied in areas with a valid regulatory plan, on plots (independent or by agreement) that are located within a city plan and do not fall within traditional settlements, traditional parts of the city, historic sites, areas for exclusive residential use, and when their area is larger than the standard plot size for the area.

In cases of plots of at least 4,000 square meters, if 100% of the uncovered space is allocated for public use, then the permitted building coverage of the plot will be increased by 35% with an additional height of up to 30% above the permitted height for the area, provided that the permitted coverage ratio is reduced by 35%.

Finally, in the article defining incentives for environmental upgrading and improving quality of life in densely populated and urban areas, the important difference is that the scope of application starts with cities that have or are in the process of acquiring a regulatory plan in the near future, while other municipalities can designate areas that meet the conditions for inclusion in these measures.