Councillors raise stink over PJ mayor’s decision on iconic A&W drive-thru

(MMO) – Mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain must explain why he awarded full-plot approval for a development planned at the site of an iconic fast-food restaurant here when it did not meet guidelines, said several local councillors.

Extending the controversy over the site of an A&W drive-through restaurant on Lorong Sultan here, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officials insist the 20-storey project planned there by KUB Malaysia Sdn Bhd (KUB) did not qualify for the approval.

The councillors yesterday confronted Mohd Azizi in a heated full-board meeting that resulted in the expulsion of two among them and a media blackout.

Among their main complaints is the inexplicable score of 8.0 — the best possible under MBPJ’s intricate evaluation system — granted the One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee, which councillors insist should only be 7.2 at best.

The maximum score would permit KUB to develop the entire plot, essentially exempting it from the council’s green space requirements.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman R. Rajiv explained that during the last OSC meeting, the mayor had insisted on approving the project without calling a vote.

“We then called for a vote during yesterday’s full board meeting to revoke the decision made by the committee,” he said.

Rajiv said yesterday’s commotion was also because councillors were trying to correct the plot ratio awarded for the particular project, to be consistent with MBPJ’s own rules.

“If they want to build an office block that is fine, but they plot ratio awarded by MBPJ must be in accordance to the council’s guidelines.

“Among the things the mayor mentioned were the guidelines being invalid, but these have been approved by MBPJ and been effective for everyone,” he said during a joint press conference at the contested site today.

Rajiv said councillors had deduced, upon reviewing the criteria presented to them, that KUB was not be able to meet the requirements to obtain the best score.

The dispute over a perfect score revolves around a MBPJ criterion for new developments to allocate up to 40 per cent or three acres as centralised gardens or open spaces.

The Bukit Gasing assemblyman said this was not possible at the disputed site, meaning the perfect score was similarly unachievable.

“If the project was awarded the correct point system from the beginning, we won’t be sitting here complaining,” he said, adding that he hoped the matter can be resolved at the next OSC meeting on February 9.

“My position is very firm, we cannot give any developer special treatment. As a government, we want to be a fair and transparent one, and we need to uphold that,” he said.

Petaling Jaya Zone 16 councillor Terence Tan, who was forcibly escorted out of yesterday’s meeting on the mayor’s orders, said the seemingly preferential treatment would open the flood gates for other developer to request a perfect plot ratio score.

Tan explained that councillors were simply asking for rules to be followed.

“It would be impossible to fit the 20 storeys, and initially they (KUB) wanted 36 storeys,” he exclaimed.

He added that the resistance was also not demonstrate that not all council representatives supported the development, saying they may be deemed as approving the project if they did not contest the approval.

“They have every right to apply for a project to be made, but it must be in accordance to the council’s guidelines,” he said.