THE last time Bukit Jalil (previously, Bukit Jalil Estate) had a major makeover was for a world-class sports event, the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
The government had invested slightly over RM2 billion to build the infrastructure, refurbish existing venues and construct the National Sports Complex (NSC), comprising Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Putra Stadium, National Hockey Stadium, National Aquatic Centre and National Squash Centre.
After the games ended, Bukit Jalil turned into a ghost town waiting for action. But not long after that several property developers started acquiring large parcels of land to build houses, condominiums, serviced apartments, shop lots, offices and retail, making the place vibrant and attractive.
Bukit Jalil is now seen as a new growth area in the south of Kuala Lumpur. The population is growing, it is well-connected by major roads and highways, and the public transportation is up to standard with the Light Rail Transit stations located near the national stadium.
It is also home to Technology Park Malaysia, Astro, Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort, the International Medical University (IMU) and the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation.
One of the key attractions in Bukit Jalil is still the NSC.
Nineteen years after the Commonwealth Games ended, the NSC played host to yet another world-class sports event, the SEA Games 2017.
But this time, the games were held in much better facilities that are compliant with the latest international standards (IAAF, FIFA, FIH and FINA).
In 2015, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) was awarded a RM1.6 billion contract to rejuvenate the NSC in two phases, and make it the new KL Sports City that could rival Singapore’s iconic Sports Hub.
Phase One, which was completed in time to host the SEA Games, involved a facelift for the stadium and other sporting facilities in the area.
Costing about RM499.21 million, Phase 1 included the refurbishing, renovation and upgrading of the National Stadium, Putra Stadium (now renamed Axiata Arena), the hockey stadium and the Aquatic centre.
The works for the national stadium is complete with a new facade and a silver vertical structure.
Designed by global mega architecture firm Populous, the stadium has been shortlisted for an award at the 2017 World Architecture Festival under the New and Old Completed Building category in Berlin, Germany.
The stadium is the largest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia’s Gelora Bung Karno had a reduction in capacity in 2007. Based on the capacity of 90,000, it is also the 24th largest in the world.
The Axiata Arena has 11,000 permanent and 2,232 retractable seats, making it a flexible space for indoor sports and events.
The hockey stadium can fit up to 12,000 people while the aquatic centre has an olympic-standard swimming pool, warm-up areas and a diving pool.
The second phase will commence soon.
This phase involves creating the KL Sports City — a fully-integrated sports hub that will consist of new, world-class infrastructure, including high-performance sports training facilities, a sports rehabilitation science centre, youth park, public sports facilities, sports museum, youth hostel, convention centre and a sports-focused retail mall.
URBAN REGENERATION
Some of the signature developments that came up since the Commonwealth Games were Sri Rakyat Apartments, Jalil Damai Apartments, the two-storey Ritz shop offices and Jalil Sutera by Bukit Jalil Development Sdn Bhd.
Berjaya Land Bhd also built exclusive bungalows and high-rise developments such as Savanna and Savanna 2, Covillea, KM1 East and West, Greenfields, Arena Green, Green Avenue and The Link Business Centre.
The establishment of tertiary institutions like the IMU and Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) attracted many families to live in Bukit Jalil.
Despite the market slowdown, developers continue to build in Bukit Jalil thanks to demand.
WZR Group, the developer of The Earth Bukit Jalil, is one of the pioneers who helped in the transformation of Bukit Jalil by developing four-storey shop offices and residential units worth RM860 million on a 6ha site.
In 2011, the first phase of the shop offices were launched, followed by Phase 2 known as Paraiso, comprising two 40-storey condominium blocks. Spanning 3.2ha, it offers 762 units with built-up areas of 960, 1,100, 1,226 and 1,480 sq ft, priced from RM493,760, or 495 per sq ft.
The project has a gross development value (GDV) of RM450 million and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.
Other ongoing projects include The Havre, a fully-residential high-rise property by Aset Kayamas, Skyluxe On the Park by SkyWorld Development Sdn Bhd, Paraiso Residence @ The Earth Bukit Jalil by Wealth Plateau Sdn Bhd and The Link 2, (Phase 1) by Berjaya Golf Resort Bhd, a wholly-owned unit of Berjaya Land.
Skyluxe has 43-storey and 44-storey towers with a total 477 units of various designs and build-ups ranging from 661 sq ft to 1,224 sq ft. The launch price was RM700++ per sq ft.
The Link 2 comprises two blocks of serviced apartments, shoplots and shop offices. The serviced apartments are selling from RM640 to RM700 per sq feet after rebates.
Next year, projects like The Rainz, The Andes and Parkhill Residence are expected to be completed. These are either condominium or service apartments selling from RM555,000, or RM505 psf, to more than RM953,190, or RM630 psf, onwards.
“Properties are not all that cheap anymore in Bukit Jalil. If you bought an apartment 10 years ago, the price would be double now. Nevertheless, people are still buying because there is road and highway connectivity to other major cities around.
“There are also reputable universities nearby, a golf course and now, a major mall project is coming up by Malton Bhd, and we can expect more buying in Bukit Jalil. Somehow, a mall can still attract buyers,” said a property consultant.
Recent transactions of certain condominium and serviced apartments in Bukit Jalil like The Treez Jalil Residence, Z Residence and KM1 Bukit Jalil show a slight increase in price.
BUKIT JALIL CITY — AN URBAN METROPOLIS
Among the biggest developments in Bukit Jalil is the 20.2ha RM4 billion Bukit Jalil City integrated development with residential, commercial, office and retail components by Malton.
Launched in 2015, the project is being developed in collaboration with Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and is expected to be fully completed in 2021.
The project has four major components: the Pavilion Bukit Jalil shopping mall, Signature Shop Offices (112 units), The Park Sky Residence (1,098 serviced apartment units), Park Point Shop Office and The Park 2 (709 units of serviced apartments).
The Park 2, featuring two towers, has an estimated GDV of RM720 million. Tower 1 consists of 385 units and Tower 2 has 324 units.
Tower 1 was launched in March and has a take-up rate of over 90 per cent.
Underpinned by a strong demand for own stay and investment, coupled with the fact that this would be the last residential component of the Bukit Jalil City project, Tower 2 continues to showcase sterling success with almost 70 per cent of the units being sold prior to the launch last month.
To meet the strong demand from buyers, Malton brought forward the release of the 52-storey Tower 2, which was originally slated for sale at a much later date.
The executive director of Malton, Hong Lay Chuan said the company was confident of achieving another remarkable success with Tower 2.
“Being the last residential tower, savvy investors and home buyers are taking the last opportunity to own property in Bukit Jalil City. The two dynamic brands, premium lifestyle and location, are the drawcards for The Park 2 and buyers are quick to pounce on the benefits. This proves there is still a high demand for high-rise residential in niche locations, and projects which offer strong concept, branding and delivery,” he said during the launch.
Hong noted that people are buying The Park 2 thanks to its premier location — sitting right between the regional Pavilion Bukit Jalil shopping mall and the lush green 32.16ha Bukit Jalil recreational park.
The Tower 2 units, with built-ups ranging from 750 sq ft to 1570 sq ft, are selling from RM630,000 onwards. They are partially furnished with quality fittings.
Meanwhile, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur retail chief executive officer Datuk Joyce Yap expects Pavilion Bukit Jalil City mall to achieve retail sales turnover of RM1.7 billion in the first 12 months of operation.
The mall will be managed by Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, which is also managing Malton’s Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall in Jalan Bukit Bintang.
According to Yap, 70 to 80 per cent occupancy was expected when it starts operation in the fourth quarter of 2020.
With a net lettable area of 1.8 million sq ft, Pavilion Bukit Jalil City mall is poised to be a regional mall in term of brands mix, flagship stores and concept.
Once completed in 2020, the mall and also the offices will provide thousands of employment opportunities, and Bukit Jalil’s population and employment are projected to increase by about 24.2 and 51.6 per cent to 464,300 and 273,121, respectively, from 2000.