Bandar Menjalara

Overview

Bandar Menjalara (used to be known as Desa Sri Mahkota), located between Kepong and Sri Damansara, happens to be one of the latest townships in Kuala Lumpur. This township is located adjacent to Taman Bukit Maluri and was named in honour of Paduka, Seri Cik Menjalara, the mother of the first Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. 

It is also a stone’s throw away from other affluent townships in KL such as Desa ParkCity, Mont’Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara Heights, Damansara Perdana as well as Petaling Jaya, which is a boost to its value. 

Fairly new, Bandar Menjalara is still growing and is offering a host of up-and-coming housing projects from high-rise condominiums and apartments to landed homes atop the existing properties available.

 

Amenities and Facilities

Bandar Menjalara itself is a self-contained township with its own hypermarket, commercial centre and amenities. Besides a sports centre, a community centre, a mosque and petrol stations, it has its own Tesco Menjalara, a business district that consists of several rows of restaurants, groceries, convenience stores and beauty centres. Wisma Menjalara and Wisma FIAMMA are also located here.

Retail havens located nearby are The Curve, Tesco Damansara and IPC (formerly known as Ikano Power Centre), IKEA and The Waterfront in Desa ParkCity, which has MaxValu Supermarket and lots of chic restaurants. It is also nearby 1Utama Shopping Centre.

This township has an abundance of medical institutions, with some located nearby such as the ParkCity Medical Centre. There are also general clinics, dental clinics, family clinics and beauty clinics.

The open park options in this township include Menjalara Lake Garden and the Kepong Metropolitan Lake and Garden. The popular Desa ParkCity Park is also a stone’s throw away.

Among the established schools in the vicinity are SMK Menjalara, SK Menjalara as well as the KL Islamic Secondary School, among others.

 

Accessibility and Transportation

Various highways and expressways such as the Sprint Highway (Penchala Link), New Klang Valley Expressway (Sungai Buloh exit), Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong as well as the Middle Ring Road II allow convenient commute in and out of this township.

Other routes to access to this township include the Lebuhraya Selayang-Kepong as well as Jalan Kepong.

Options on public transportation are via the Sungai Buloh KTM Station, Kepong KTM Station, Kepong Sentral KTM Station and the Segambut KTM Station.

Public transportation here is further complemented by bus services.

The proposed MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line 2, expected to be completed in 2021, will see Bandar Menjalara serviced by three stations at Kepong Sentral, Metro Prima and Kepong Baru. 

 

A Vibrant Market (Mar 2021 update)

According to CCO & Associates (KL) director Chan Wai Seen, Bandar Menjalara's strategic location in Kuala Lumpur, land scarcity and easy access to various highways have boosted demand for property in the area. "The neighbourhood is mature, with limited new supply, which is important to ensure price stability. Bandar Menjalara is also one of the few townships in Kuala Lumpur that offer landed houses," he points out.

Savills Malaysia director of research and consultancy Amy Wong notes that Bandar Menjalara, with its close proximity to Petaling Jaya, Mont Kiara and other areas, has always been a strategic location. "Connectivity was further improved with the opening of DUKE2 in 2017, with access to the Kuala Lumpur city centre during peak hours shortened to 30 minutes, compared with the 45 to 60 minutes before the appearance of the tolled highway. In the next 2-3 years, the MRT line 2, Putrajaya Line Sri Damansara East station will be less than a 3km drive away and will further improve the current connectivity. The excellent and wide ranging amenities, benefits of proximity to Desa ParkCity and improving connectivity are the main factors contributing to the attractiveness of Bandar Menjalara," says Wong.

The Putrajaya Line, previously known as the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line, is the second MRT line. Once completed, it will serve a population of about two million people, all the way from Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya.

Despite stagnant property prices since 2015, Wong notes that subsale prices of landed properties have exceeded RM800,000 - a level that only the upper middle income group can afford. "Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the new residents in the area in recent years are from the upper middle and upper income groups. There have been increasing number of new business opening shop in the Bandar Menjalara commercial areas over the last 3 years, with a notable upgrade in positioning level. This includes new cafes, bakeries, beverage outlets and banks, in sharp contrast to the older shops with mass-market positioning. This is a sign of increasing income levels within the area," says Wong.

Metro Homes Realty Bhd executive director See Kok Long says the property market in Bandar Menjalara is very vibrant, much like the other areas in Kepong. "Just a glance at the data from NAPIC shows that the property market there is active, with transactions of properties ranging from terraced houses and condominiums to shopoffices," he says. He notes that its location makes Bandar Menjalara attractive to homebuyers. "For investors, the pricing of properties is the main factor. Bandar Menjalara is much cheaper compared with Desa ParkCity. And there are certain products that are not available in Desa ParkCity, such as low cost terraced house, flats and shopoffices, that attract investors," says See.

According to Wong, in line with the general market, prices have held steady since 2015 for landed residences, which form the bulk of the property supply in the area, and, despite a decline in transaction volume, the occupancy rate has remained high. "Residential developments mainly comprise double-storey terraced houses in Menjalara 62B (>800 units), with a 22ft x 75ft layout, and Sri Menjalara (>1300 units), with a smaller layout of 18ft x 60ft. Semi detached houses (196 units) are limited to those in Villa Manja, which was developed and completed by Sunway SPK in 2010.

"High rise developments strated with Medan Putra Condominium, Menara Menjalara and Kestana Condominium in the early 2000s. They were followed by Plaza Medan Putra (500 units in Avelon Tower and Beverly Tower) in 2010. In recent years, there have been higher-quality launches, such as Menjalara 18 (248 units) and Dua Menjalara (95 units) by F3 Capital in 2009 and 2015 respectively; and East Parc @ Menjalara (432 units) by Fiamma Holdings which was completed a few months ago," says Wong. 

According to Wong, upcoming projects in Menjalara includes M-Suite by VST Development. The 0.7 acre development comprises 202 SoHo units with built-ups ranging from 460 to 920 sq ft. Launched in 2018, the selling prices start from RM311,000. The project is expected to be completed by end 2021 or more likely 2022, which will bring the cumulative high-rise residential supply in Bandar Menjalara to about 3,300 units by 2022.

See says Sri Melinger is planning a new mixed-use development. Sri Melinger is the developer of Plaza Medan Putra, a freehold mixed-use development in Bandar Menjalara comprising 500 apartments in Avelon Tower and Beverly Tower. "The proposed development comprises a 49-storey servicedd residence block, with 2-storey retail shoplots on the ground floor. The site is in Jalan Medan Putra 2 and it is flanked by Medan Putra Condominium and Kestana Condominium," he says.

As for the rental market, Wong says Bandar Menjalara is largely an owner-occupier neighbourhood, with limited rental activity. "The rental market is believed to be largely in the more affordable condos of Menara Menjalara and Plaza Medan Putra, as well as Menjalara 18 and Dua Menjalara, for tenants with a budget who like the proximity to Desa ParkCity," she says.

Based on historical transactions of residential properties from 2015 to 2020, prices of high rise residential and landed residential properties moved in opposite directions. The average transacted price for high rise residential properties declined at a 5 year CAGR of 3% from RM508 psf in 2015 to RM436 psf in 2020, according to Savills. However the average transacted price for residential properties has increased slightly over the years, with a 5 year CAGR of 0.6% during the same period.

 

What the future holds

As Bandar Menjalara has only a handful of undeveloped land parcels and is almost fully developed, Wong believes redevelopment is likely in the foreseeable future. One such case is East Parc @ Menjalara, which was redeveloped from the former Fiamma Warehouse. "The recent successful launch of Park Place in Desa ParkCity shows tremendous demand for the Desa ParkCity address. Its increasing popularity is a boon for Bandar Menjalara's future, as the latter is perceived as an alternative in a strategic location but with a lower price tag," opines Wong.

"The future is bright for Bandar Menjalara, as Desa ParkCity will continue to record higher transaction values and the amenities are complete now with an international school, Chinese school, hospital and the like. The connectivity will continue to improve. We were told that there will be another connection from Desa ParkCity to Country Heights Damansara. Upgrading the connection to Mont Kiara via Segambut Dalam will also improve access and benefit Bandar Menjalara in the medium to long term," says See.

"Personally, I am quite positive about the developments in Bandar Menjalara. It is a mature neighbourhood with stable market outlook. Prices of properties, particularly the freehold landed houses, will increase further - slowly but surely," says Chan.

As for Wong, she believes that as properties change hands in Bandar Menjalara and new residents from the upper-middle and upper-income groups move in, the demographic change may increase its positioning level, as reflected in the recent change of tenant mix in the commercial shop areas.

Bandar Menjalara shoplots on Jalan 5/62A steam ahead (The Edge, City and Country, March 28, 2022)

Nestled in the south of Jalan Kepong, which is the main street in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, is Bandar Menjalara. Named after Paduka Seri Cik Menjalara, the mother of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the first prime minister of Malaysia, the township comprises mostly landed residential property. Its residents enjoy comprehensive amenities such as a public lake park, schools, mosques, high-rise residential homes, offices, a grocer and commercial hub. 

"Bandar Menjalara itself is strategically located close to Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur and enjoys great accessibility via higways such as the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong and Duke 2. There are also three new MRT stations nearby," says Henry Butcher Malaysia chief operating officer Tang Chee Meng. 

Tang says the commercial hub of Bandar Menjalara is enjoying the spillover effects of an improvement in public transport and gwoing population in the area. Over the years, the shoplots have generally been well occupied, indicating that there is healthy demand for shops in the area. 

"Being near Desa ParkCity, Kepong and Bandar Sri Damansara, the commercial centre in Bandar Menjalara is able to offer residents in those townships services and products that may not be found [where they live]," he says. 

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the commercial hub of Bandar Menjalara, especially Chinese cuisine and steamboat, leading many locals to refer to the area as the "steamboat town". 

Steamboat Street 

The 300m-long Jalan 5/62A is one of the busiest streets in Bandar Menjalara commercial hub. The street also has the most steamboat restaurants in the entire area, including the Yozen Japanese Shabu-Shabu outlet, all-you-can-eat steambaot restaurant EatMor Paradise, Restoran Ketam Steamboat Seafood as well as chain restaurant Hometown Steamboat. 

Some other highly popular restaurants located on Jalan 5/62A are Restoran Ful Lai Dim Sum, Restoran Fatt Kee Kepong and 9th Floor Dining Kitchen. 

The street also provides services such as a vet, clinic, convenience store, home and living products, budget hotel and college. There was no vacant shop as at February. 

Tang says: "The sale transactions would indicate that the market for shops in Bandar Menjalara is quite active and prices and rents have been relatively stable. With the commencement of operations of the Putrajaya Line MRT stations, Bandar Menjalara will become even more easily accessible." 

According to Henry Butcher data, as at March 2021, the average transacted price for shoplots in Bandar Menjelara was RM3 million, or RM215 psf. 

Meanwhile, as at 2020, the average monthly rent for standard ground-floor shop ranged from RM4,680 to RM6,000, depending on the location and condition of the property. The current asking monthly rent for a ground-floor unit ranges from RM4,500 (RM2.73 psf) to RM10,000 (RM 4.31 psf), whereas the asking rent for the first, second and third floor ranges from RM1,300 (RM1.73 psf) to RM2,500 (RM3.21 psf). 

"The outlook for shops in Bandar Menjalara is promising in the long term, although, in the immediate term, the poorer business environment, arising from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, would have dampened demand a bit. Prices of 4-storey shops appeared to have eased over the last two years, and prices of 2- and 3-storey shops have been quite stable," Tang says.