Monday August 23, 2004
Desa ParkCity shaping up well
BY ANGIE NG
DESA ParkCity in northwest Kuala Lumpur is fast shaping up into one of the best master-planned communities in the city. Its first residential precinct will be completed next month.
Buyers of 171 units of the Safa double-storey terraces will be the first to move into their homes by next month, to be followed by buyers of the 165 Nadia homes, located next to Safa, who will be handed their keys by June next year.
To complement the development, more new products, including commercial properties, will be launched over the next five years for completion in 2012.
A site visit to Desa ParkCity revealed that the developer, Perdana ParkCity Sdn Bhd, has provided the space to create the Klang Valley's first ?Community of Short Distances? and the most ?walkable? community township.
Built for those who appreciate quality communal living, Perdana ParkCity chief executive officer Lee Liam Chye said all the amenities, including schools, shops, parks and club house within the sprawling central park, would be located within a 15-minute walk from the residential precincts.
The main community features in Desa ParkCity are aimed at promoting a sense of belonging and create cohesiveness within the community while maintaining their own residential identity.
Some of the key features are the distinctive identity of each neighbourhood, a 43-acre central park, membership to the RM30mil residents' clubhouse, walkable neighbourhood with 9ft-wide pedestrian sidewalks and distinct landscaping and safe streetscapes.
Lam Kee Cheong explaining the development plans of Desa Park City.
To promote higher interaction and walking among the community, the company has set aside quite substantial land to green the development, including a 43-acre central park and other smaller pocket parks of 1.5 to two acres in each of the 23 neighbourhoods. Tree-lined pedestrian sidewalks will border the streets.
Project director Lam Kee Cheong said earthworks for the central park and lake would commence next year for completion early 2006.
Other community features include a 28-acre education reserve for schools and colleges. The residents' clubhouse located within the central park will be ready in early 2007.
The RM3bil Desa ParkCity features 23 close-knit neighbourhoods with most of the precincts comprising strata-titled properties. Of the precincts launched so far, only Safa and Southlake Terraces are individually titled homes in non-gated communities, while the rest are gated enclaves.
To ensure security for the residents in the non-gated communities, single entry and exit points are set up to limit the access of non-residents.
The 473-acre development will feature 7,000 mixed residential units comprising park homes, courtyard terraces, semi-detached houses, bungalows, condominiums and apartments. So far, more than 1,000 homes have been launched and are at different stages of development.
Being individually-titled neighbourhoods, the landscaping for Safa and Southlake Terraces precincts are dictated by City Hall and will be integrated with the full extent of the creative landscape planned by Perdana ParkCity. The upkeep of the landscaping will be carried out by City Hall.
Lee said since the maiden launch of the Nadia gated homes in June 2002, more than RM500mil in sales had been achieved to-date. The 291 Southlake Terraces were the latest to be launched in June and have so far recorded a take-up rate of 76%.
In the bungalow precinct, a 150-acre hillside bungalow enclave will be launched in June next year. Under an earlier launch, more than 60% of the 96 bungalow lots under parcels B and D, priced from RM110 to RM130 per sq ft, have been sold. Bungalows will start to dot the landscape when construction in the bungalow precinct begins next year.
Slated for launch in 2005 are 66 detached homes, 30 semi-detached houses, 200 park homes and courtyard terraces, 215 terraced homes and 354 condominiums.
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