AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has approved a proposal to extend Transit Oriented Zone (TOZ) benefits—including a higher floor space index (FSI) of 4.0 and parking concessions—to 4,604 hectares along ten major city roads.
These benefits will also apply in areas where Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridors are not physically present. A TOZ is a planning tool designed to promote dense, vertical development near mass transport corridors like Metro or BRT, enabling the construction of high-rise buildings ranging from 70m to 100m in height, depending on their plot size and design. This move is expected to alter the skyline along these major roads. The decision was made during Auda’s 309th board meeting on December 17 and will be forwarded to the state government for final approval.
According to the proposal, land within a 200m buffer zone on both sides of key roads will be designated as TOZ. The ten roads include Bopal to Ghuma, Science City Circle to Sola Bridge, Sola Bridge to Gota Crossroads up to Vasantnagar Township (SG Road), Bopal to Sobo Centre, Iscon Circle via Ujala Circle to Vishala Junction, Subhash Bridge to Airport Road, Visat Circle to Vishwakarma College Road, Zundal Circle to Amba Township, Naroda Patiya via Devi Cinema to Hanspura Ring Road, and Sarangpur Gate via Kalupur Gate to Airport Road.
In line with TOZ regulations, new construction projects in these designated areas will be eligible for increased FSI and reduced parking requirements.
Auda explained, “The Ahmedabad City Development Plan 2021 was approved on December 20, 2014, proposing a TOZ within 200m on both sides of the city’s BRTS and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) corridors, permitting an FSI of 4.0.” They also stated that 82 Local Area Plans fall within existing TOZ zones, with development approvals being reviewed in collaboration with the AMC.
This initiative follows an August 21 letter from AMC highlighting the extension of several BRTS routes since 2014. Auda referenced the Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations 2017, noting that TOZ benefits can be expanded when BRTS routes evolve. The proposal clarifies, “TOZ regulations can be applied only after state government approval of the MRT corridor. Currently, an FSI of 4.0 is available along the Metro Corridor Phase 2 route.”
Specific parcels include 2,859 hectares along the Science City Circle to Sola Bridge road, where BRTS stations exist but no corridor is present, and 77 hectares along the Bopal-Ghuma road, where a full BRTS corridor is operational. Additionally, 1,668 hectares cover roads where BRTS routes are proposed but do not currently have corridors.
