Sime Darby Property creating a modern skyline in the eastern part of KL

BEING able to wake up to fresh air and lush forest views every morning and then going to work using the LRT just a few minutes away sounds far from reality in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

However, at Sime Darby Property’s KL East, a 153-acre fully integrated residential, lifestyle and commercial enclave in the eastern part of KL, one could possibly have the opportunity to enjoy living in a green environment with great accessibility. KL East stands out in the area with its grand backdrop of the world’s longest quartz ridge.

With nature and greenery in mind, it is the only development in KL city with a facility dedicated to rainforest regeneration and the promotion of sustainable living — with more than 50% of the development dedicated to green open spaces.

KL East is also known as an integrated transit adjacent development (TAD) due to its proximity to the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal (GITT) comprising the Gombak Light Railway Transit (LRT) station (on the Kelana Jaya LRT line), Rapid KL and taxi hub, as well as a bus terminal for buses to Genting Highlands, all within easy reach via a proposed 800m covered pedestrian walkway. It is located just 15 minutes away from KLCC, and five minutes to the Gombak and Sri Rampai LRT stations.

Set for completion this September at KL East is The Véo, the first residential high-rise in the township. It comprises 30-storey twin towers housing 175 condominium units each. The units are made up of studios, 3-bedroom units, dual-key units and duplexes, ranging from 735 sq ft to 3,638 sq ft.

Tower B of The Véo was launched in November 2012 whereas Tower A was launched in May 2013. There are only 52 units left for sale to date. The price psf of The Véo ranges from RM680 to RM750.

“The target segment for The Véo is professionals, managers, executives and businessmen between the ages of 30 and 40 who want a modern, urban lifestyle,” says the head of township of KL East for Sime Darby Property, Mohd Shahreza Maswan.

Each unit offers spacious open-plan living spaces with unique ultra-sized balconies spanning the unit’s full width. “This is an exclusive design feature of The Véo,” adds Mohd Shahreza. In fact, most of the Tower B units of The Véo accord views of the greenery and hills.

Facilities at The Véo include a 3-tier security system, a community sky garden on each tower, gym, clubhouse, wading and infinity pools, children’s playground and a multipurpose hall.

The Véo itself is well-connected to various highways such as the Ampang-KL Elevated Highway, Duta-Hulu Klang Expressway, Middle Ring Road 2 and Karak Expressway. KL East will also benefit from the upcoming Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway which has a direct link to the Tun Razak Exchange and Bandar Malaysia development corridor, offers Mohd Shahreza.

Parents with school-going children can opt for the reputable Kolej Yayasan Saad International School which is targeted to open in early 2019.

Homes above a mall

Last year, Sime Darby Property introduced a new project at KL East known as Quarza Residence. The integrated development features two towers of serviced apartments with a total of 508 units.

“Each tower houses 254 units of serviced apartments, with a mix of 1-bedroom units with a built-up size of 651 sq ft and 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom units from 850 sq ft to 865 sq ft.

“Facilities at Quarza Residence include a sophisticated sky garden, wading, family and lap pools, an aqua gym, futsal court, BBQ pavilion, multipurpose hall and children’s playground,” Mohd Shahreza says.

Quarza Residence sits atop an upcoming mall which will occupy the lower four levels. Slated for opening in November next year, 30% of the retail space has already been taken up, as at February this year.

Planned to house a myriad of renowned retail brands, food and beverage outlets, as well as a supermarket, cinema, and an ice rink, the lifestyle speciality neighbourhood mall will be a catalyst for business activities in the area while offering retail convenience to its residents, he adds.

Tower A was launched in May 2016 and is currently 52% taken up.

“We will also be launching Tower B of Quarza Residence comprising another 254 units by next year with prices ranging from RM576,888 to RM836,888,” offers Mohd Shahreza.

Old rubber plantation shines on

Located near to KL East is Sime Darby’s other township, Melawati. According to Mohd Shahreza, some forty years ago in the mid-seventies, a rubber plantation in Ulu Kelang known as Hawthornton Estate was developed into Taman Melawati — a residential estate targeting the growing middle-income group.

Coming up in the area is Melawati Mall, a 10-storey shopping and lifestyle centre which will offer 635,000 sq ft of premier brands, themed food and beverage outlets, specialty shops, a cineplex as well as leisure and entertainment outlets. The mall is jointly developed by Sime Darby Property and CapitaMalls Asia.

There is also the much-anticipated Melawati Corporate Centre featuring flexible office and choice retail spaces. “Both the mall and the offices are targeted for completion in June this year,” Mohd Shahreza says.

“The future is exciting for Melawati. The 900-acre township is located less than 15km from KLCC. Melawati is in the middle of an urban redevelopment initiative with the area earmarked for residential, commercial, retail and lifestyle developments,” he adds.

Sime Darby Property is also developing SERINI Melawati, the latest and tallest high-rise residential offering featuring two 38-storey lifestyle towers with arguably the best views in Melawati, located less than 1km from Melawati Mall.

Both towers offer a total of 528 units comprising four types of layouts. These 1+1, 2, 3 and 4+1 bedroom serviced apartments come in built-ups ranging from about 630 sq ft to 1,500 sq ft. Facilities in SERINI Melawati include a gym, open roof yoga area, infinity swimming pool, playground, spice garden, function rooms and barbecue area.

“SERINI Melawati is located close to the brand new Central Park Melawati, an extension of the green spaces within the development. The park boasts immaculately designed green spaces, water features and activity centres among the stylish commercial and retail-scape of the township’s urban centre.

“Adjacent to SERINI is the Melawati service cluster that will house the new Melawati police station. There are also banks, supermarkets, hypermarkets, a post office, petrol station, food outlets and healthcare facilities within the Melawati area,” Mohd Shahreza explains.

How does the area fare?

According to Laurelcap Sdn Bhd executive director Stanley Toh, Melawati is an established mixed commercial and residential development located within Klang Gates about 13km north east of KLCC comprising mainly terraced houses, semi-detached houses, bungalows and apartments/condominiums.

“The prices of high-rises for the newer projects are between RM600 and RM700 psf while the existing older apartments are between RM300 and RM400 psf. What is favourable about the area is that it has good road access via the Middle Ring Road 2 with amenities such as schools, shops and public transportation readily available, and the scenic and serene area bordering the Klang Gate Quartz Ridge” says Toh.

According to Toh, the property market here is currently flat due to the general market slowdown but in the longer term, outlook looks bright as land gets scarcer in KL.

This story first appeared in the Special Report on High-Rise Living in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on March 31, 2017. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.