Kaosiung’s Grand Hyatt Hotel Reconstruction: A Look at the Controversy Surrounding its High Floor Area Ratio

The reconstruction of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Kaohsiung has been met with scrutiny, drawing parallels to the controversial Jinghua City redevelopment project in Taipei. A physician supporting former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, Su Yi-feng, has pointed out that the Grand Hyatt’s floor area ratio (FAR) reaches 1142%, raising concerns about potential double standards in investigations. The Kaohsiung City government maintains that the two projects differ in their baselines, with the Grand Hyatt located on a commercial land zoned for retail and benefiting from redevelopment incentives under the Urban Dangerous and Old Buildings Acceleration Reconstruction Act. They also emphasize the hotel’s legal application for reconstruction and its adherence to relevant regulations, urging against misinterpretations.