TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City’s Department of Urban Development hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday (April 13) for the first phase of a new social housing project in Wanhua District.

The project, named "Fumin" (福民) will be in the vicinity of Huannan market, said the head of the department’s social housing engineering section, Wei Kuo-chong (魏國忠). It will be the 36th social housing project in the city.

The project will be built in two phases, CNA cited Wei as saying. The construction area for the first phase covers about 800 ping of land (1 ping equals 3.3 square meters).

The buildings will be 16 stories high with three basement levels and are expected to total roughly NT$1.02 billion (US$35 million), he added. The first phase area will include 131 two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 10 to 18 ping.

The second phase will see 207 apartments built on a 1,100-ping area, Wei said. In addition to housing for economically disadvantaged residents, this section will include daily amenities and facilities for those with disabilities, provided by the city’s Department of Social Welfare, he went on.

Speaking at the ceremony, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said the city will invest more than NT$20 billion in Wanhua District. In addition to rebuilding the Huannan Market and the First Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market, a “Mengjia Academy” (艋舺學園) is planned to help rejuvenate the area, he added.