The City of Joburg has today taken the next step towards our vision of turning the Inner City into a construction site with Council approving the release of an additional 70 properties for development as part of the Inner City Revitalisation Programme.
The 70 properties, located predominantly in Orange Grove, will be consolidated into 17 sites before being put out to a competitive tender process. This will ensure that the City derives maximum return on them in terms of the developments that can be realised and the investment that can be attracted.
As part of the tender process, developers are expected to demonstrate the benefits of their proposals to the City with a focus on affordable housing, student accommodation, economic impact and job creation. Developers are also expected to include an artisan training and development programme as part of their proposal.
With the development of the 70 properties estimated to create as many as 1,200 jobs during the construction phase, and deliver 1,000 residential units, the Inner City Revitalisation Programme is seen as a key initiative towards stimulating the City’s economy and addressing the massive housing backlog.
I am greatly encouraged to note that Council’s approval of the latest batch brings the total number of properties released to the private sector for mixed-use development to 154 since the programme was launched in October 2017. The move also comes less than a month after the City awarded the first 3 properties to developers following the successful conclusion of the tender process.
Since coming into office, the multi-party government has made tackling the City’s housing crisis one of its top priorities for bringing change to the Johannesburg. The Inner City Revitalisation Programme is key to achieving our vision for the City as it will assist in addressing not only the housing crisis, but also create much needed jobs.
The multi-party government remains steadfast in its commitment to restoring the former glory of the Joburg Inner City and improving the lives of the residents who see it as a place to live, work and play.
Cllr Herman Mashaba
Executive Mayor
City of Joburg
Media enquiries:
Luyanda Mfeka
Director: Mayoral Communications
Office of the Executive Mayor
Cell: 076 171 5978
Email: luyandam@joburg.org
