I am considering taking a mini vacation to Muzha area for Maokong in the next couple of weeks. I was really surprised to see there only seems to be 1 hotel in the area (seems to be one of those drive-through motels)?
Anyone know why that is? I assume it must be some sort of zoning issue. I feel like there would be tons of business in this area for a hotel from families wanting to go to Maokong/Taipei Zoo., etc.
Any insight?
I like Maokong as much as the next guy, but itās a piece of cake to get there via the Brown Line (transfer to one of the small buses up at Wanfang Community MRT Station).
You can then find better hotels by looking up the line.
Guy
Oh yeah for sure ā lots of options a bit further out. I was just really surprised to see the area is a hotel desert, save for just one for some reason. This area seems to still be quite underdeveloped. Maybe that is why.
Interesting question, yeah, it would make sense to see one of those tea operations turned into a tea-themed homestay or something. I donāt think the area is suitable for hotels because of the narrow roads and lack of space in general. Thereās also not much to do for those who stay there, other than hiking, drinking tea, and visiting the zoo.
Another reason probably is the proximity to central Taipei. There are not many hotel operation on the outskirts of Taipei anywhere other than the hot-spring places in Beitou/Yangmingshan. Tourists prefer to stay in the city, I guess.
That would be lovely. This idea occurred to me too. I wonder why it seems untested.
Guy
Some sort of tea spa LOHAS bull shit
Itās interesting that no one seems to have tried this. I wonder why.
Guy
It could be a protected area such as a watershed. Overall development seems to be have been limited there in the tea growing area.
Generally speaking you are right. However there is a holiday inn in shenkeng and four seasons in zhonghe and hotels in Bitanā¦
The windy shitty road up Maokong and steep slopes and Agri zoned land and probably watershed protected arenāt conducive to hotel building. Down at the bottom would be I guess but space is limited there and either riverside or already developed.
This is a very good point.
@hannes with your connections I wonder if you could ask around about this? Itād be interesting to find out if this is indeed the reason.
Guy
Oooh, am l connected? 
My connection to the Water Conservancy Agency is pretty dry I am afraid. 
I was thinking of your knowledge of the travel industry.
If itās irrevelant here, my apologies to you.
Guy
All I know is that Maokong is a āprotected area,ā meaning that there are lot of restrictions regarding development. Not sure how that impedes the opening of places to stay, though.
Thereās no real mystery. Muzha District itself is largely a dormitory community of Taipei City, so itās mostly residential, and will be zoned as such with limited commercial development either permitted or grandfathered by the council.
The proximity of mountains with poor access roads precludes much hotel development, plus poor transportation links. Then throw in protected status, and boom! You have what you see now.
Previous development in the area probably occurred because land was cheap and regulation light, so schools & universities opened up. Lots of campuses around Taipei like that. It would probably be impossible to open a campus like that now, enrolment issues notwithstanding. In fact, I doubt that the Gondola would be built now either. The Beitou Gondola never transpired.
Thanks for the detailed explanation ā this was exactly the insight I was looking for!
Wait are you telling me there is ZONING in Taiwan?!?!
Iām aware of restrictions on forests, agricultural land, etc. But in the city? With like actual zoning? 
Guy
Iām not sure if you are being facetious or not, but there is most certainly zoning and all kinds of other regulations in Taiwan. Here they are for Taipei City.
https://www.udd.gov.taipei/laws/rdpqpr5
Enforcement is complex and uneven with many exceptions and grandfather loopholes (tear downs of pre 1994(?)-rooftops etc).
These rules had a major effect on businesses near Shida about a decade or so ago. Also on closure of various live houses and more underground clubbing spots.
More recently, about 100 shops in the Nanxi section of the Zhongshan shopping area were recently noticed for zoning violations and many may have to close.
https://news.pts.org.tw/article/704002
Wait are you telling me there is ZONING in Taiwan?!?!
The examples you citedāespecially the Shida neighbourhood crackdownābring back memories of seemingly arbitrary enforcement, with authorities swooping down after powerful residents complain, not consistent zoning rules as I understand them.
But perhaps thatās just how Taiwan rolls. 
PS Thank you for linking that feature story by David Frazier. It brings back a lot of memories, few of them pleasant.
Guy
Indeed it is. Look at some of the quotations from the 2012 Frazier feature linked above:
āIāve been here for 18 years running the exact same business with the same license and have never had a problem, so why am I having a problem now?ā asks Roxy owner Ling Wei (ååØ).
āI invested NT$15 million in three restaurants here because I trusted the law and I trusted the city. I sold my house in India. Just last year, Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (éé¾ę) was promoting Shida as a commercial district. Now I ask myself, is this Taiwan or is this China?ā says Andy Singh, an Indian restaurateur who is fighting the city.
Is this what āzoningā is about?
Guy
Probably nice to see some areas less developed. The last thing we need is more development up there. Itās great having green mountainous stretches. Plus those mountains and the rains would probably have issues once lines are carved through them (landslides). Hard enough maintaining the already developed areas. The mrt is ultra convenient 
Centuries or lawlessness and corruption needs to be dealt with at some point. The politicians trying to clean up the pastsā mess wonāt likely be very popular. But sometimes the dirty work needs doing to make things above board. I have a few friends up there in court for years already trying to simply resolve ow ership issues of taipei land due to how terrible record keeping was back then (1900s)