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The plans for Bandar Rimbayu, a 1,879-acre township in Banting in Kuala Langat, Selangor, that was previously known as Canal City and which has been almost a decade in the making, are finally ready to be unveiled to the masses.
To recap, the previous Selangor government had offered the land to Kumpulan Europlus Bhd (KEuro) in exchange for a flood mitigation programme that would have entailed the construction of an 18km canal connecting Sungai Klang to Sungai Langat over 5,400 acres. There were plans for waterfront properties to be developed along the canal, resembling the scenic and iconic Venice in Italy.
The land was alienated to Canal City Construction Sdn Bhd, a unit of Radiant Pillar Sdn Bhd, which is undertaking Bandar Rimbayu. IJM Land Bhd and KEuro each have a 50% stake in Radiant Pillar while IJM Land’s parent IJM Corp Bhd has a 22.7% stake in KEuro.
When the current Selangor government came into power, however, it deemed the flood mitigation programme unnecessary and terminated it.
Following the termination, Radiant Pillar had to negotiate the terms for the land and also relocate and compensate an Orang Asli village occupying part of the land. The village will now be moved to the fringes of the development along the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) and given 515.07 acres of agricultural land in Rembau, Negri Sembilan.
The sprawling leasehold Bandar Rimbayu, if pulled off, will likely be one of the country’s largest green townships and mark a milestone for property developers IJM Land and KEuro.
Canal City’s new name reflects the removal of the eponymous canal that was once the crux of the township’s master plan and highlights its sustainable selling points.
“We should not only look at selling our products, but also think of developing something for all in the future. This is something we can leave behind for the future generations at the end of the day. We are going green for all who will live in this township now and in the future,” IJM Land’s CEO and managing directorDatuk Soam Heng Choon tells City & Country.
The development has an estimated gross development value (GDV) of at least RM11 billion and is expected to comprise 10,000 homes in total. It will be developed over the next 12 to 15 years, adds Soam.
“’Bandar’ means township and it is quite a sizeable one at 1,879 acres. [As for] Rimbayu, we combined ‘Rimba’ and ‘Bayu’ to reflect what the township is about. Rimba [means] back to nature, jungle, the environment, and ‘bayu’ means breeze. It means it’s windy and breezy, a cooling [place] for residents,” explains Shuy Eng Leong, the COO of Canal City Construction.
Overview
At a mere 2.9km from Kota Kemuning, Bandar Rimbayu will be framed by four highways — Elite, Kesas, SKVE and the proposed West Coast Expressway — which will connect Banting to Taiping in Perak. The township will also feature trunk roads — including a direct connection to Kota Kemuning that was jointly developed by Gamuda Land Bhd and DRB-Hicom Bhd— that will enable road users to avoid paying toll along the SKVE and Elite.
Bandar Rimbayu will be divided into four precincts — the residential Flora and Fauna; a commercial hub; and the high-end Bayu located at a stone’s throw from the main part of the township.
Flora and Fauna will house a variety of homes, schools and recreational facilities. Flora will have link houses and high-rise strata homes while Fauna will offer only landed homes, including link houses and bungalows.
These phases will also house schools, hypermarkets, fire stations, police stations, community halls and other required township amenities. Both precincts have provisions for a retirement village, according to Shuy.
The 280-acre Bayu will house high-end waterfront properties due to the numerous natural lakes in the area.
The 300-acre commercial precinct will front the SKVE and will be designed to have “cul de sacs and walkways dispersing into town squares where al fresco cafes will provide lively meeting venues for business chats, coffee stops and people watching”, says IJM Land.
According to the group, “sizeable land parcels have been allocated for the possible development of shopping malls, big box retail and also private education institutions and medical institutions”.
The group is also considering serviced apartments in the precinct, which is suitable for warehouse leasing by food and beverage businesses and fashion apparel manufacturers as well.
It is understood that the group is looking at around 41 phases in total for the entire township, subject to approval by the authorities.
Phase 1 launch in 4Q2012
The first phase, located in Flora, is targeted for a launch in the fourth quarter. It spans 56 acres and will feature 526 terraced houses with land areas of 22ft by 75ft and 24ft by 75ft and built-ups of 2,100 sq ft onwards.
The prices and details of these homes have not been firmed up as they are pending approval, says Soam. Nevertheless, he draws comparisons with other residential projects such as Saujana Permai within LBS Bina Group Bhd’s Bandar Saujana Putra as well as I & P Group Sdn Bhd’s Alam Impian and Sime Darby Property Bhd’s Denai Alam in Shah Alam.
Launched earlier this year, Saujana Permai comprises about a hundred 2-storey terraced houses with sizes that start at 20ft by 70ft and built-ups at 1,640 sq ft. Prices were RM398,800 onwards and over 90% of the units have been taken up to date.
The 2-storey terraced houses in Alam Impian’s Pentas phase have land areas of 2,125 to 4,393 sq ft and built-ups of 3,273 to 4,469 sq ft. These units were priced from RM799,888 to RM1.382 million.
Soam says IJM Land is targeting upgraders from Shah Alam, Puchong, Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Bandar Botanic and Bukit Tinggi in Klang, Banting, Jenjarum and Jalan Kebun. To date, there have been over 2,000 registrants for Bandar Rimbayu’s first phase launch.
How green is it?
According to Soam, the project was envisioned as a green development from day one. He says while there might not yet be much demand for green products, it is time to pitch sustainable properties to the market.
“Malaysians can be hypocritical. We preach something but we don’t practise it. We say exercise is good, but we want to drive or park our cars right in front of the shops when we can park 2km away and start walking to the place,” he points out.
“It costs easily 10% to 20% more to put in a lot of green features. But in the long run, like with energy-efficient electric appliances, you will save. But people are just not willing to spend.”
This is opposite to what is happening in more developed countries where sustainable features are much sought after, he adds.
The developer is planning to have at least half of the development certified green. While the group is working with the Malaysian Green Building Index on the township’s compliance with it, Soam does not rule out applying for green accreditation from other sustainable development standards, such as Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark as well as a Construction Quality Assessment System (Conquas) rating.
Bandar Rimbayu will feature six elements of sustainable development — climate, energy and water; environment and ecology; community planning and design; transport and connectivity; building and resources; and business and innovation.
An example of community planning and design is the incorporation of crime prevention through environmental design (CETPD).
Soam explains that while phases will either be designated as guarded neighbourhoods only or gated and guarded neighbourhoods, each phase will be designed to prevent outside traffic from passing through.
“Later on, if [the residents of guarded neighbourhoods] want to put up fences, they can, provided 75% of the residents agree. So when they stay here, they must be ready for it. They must sign off from day one to say that they consent to such a scheme.”
To encourage the use of public transport, shuttle service will be provided to the nearest light rail transit (LRT) and bus stations. The nearest such facility will be the upcoming Putra Heights LRT station, says Soam.
“The other form of connectivity is Internet connection — so we are partnering with Telekom Malaysia Bhd for fibre to home, high-speed broadband connection and we will package it with our Phase 1 units. It is plug and play where you just need to sign a form saying which package you want. Then we will pay your one year’s subscription.”
There are also plans to provide employment opportunities in the township, mainly via the commercial precinct, but details have not been firmed up yet.
The Arc
A big part of Bandar Rimbayu revolves around community building. To this end, the developer is already constructing a community facility with a field and a huge turfed roof below which will be the project’s site office, sales gallery and space for kiosks and all manner of activities intended to foster community living.
Dubbed The Arc, this swooping structure will be twice the size of the Marina Barrage in Singapore, says Soam.
“The field [surrounded by the turfed roof] here is for social interaction. We want people to come to the field, so that’s why it is a social magnet. When it’s hot, you can have activities under the roof. You can fly your kite here [on the roof or the field].”
The Arc costs RM18 million to build and spans 2.47 acres. It will be housed in Flora on a 15-acre site dedicated to recreational activity.
“In the future, we will have kiosks and offices at the Arc, including our sales and project offices. The whole covered area can double as an activity or event area for the community, like farmers or flea markets, carnivals and sport,” says Shuy.
He adds that the Arc will be connected to a man-made creek and canal structure that will run through the commercial precinct.
A location play first and foremost
Industry experts polled by City & Country affirm the significance of Bandar Rimbayu’s real estate fundamentals aside from its features of sustainability.
They say the project’s location, easy accessibility via four highways as well as the terraced houses offered in its first phase would meet the needs of Klang Valley homebuyers.
According to mapmaker Ho Chin Soon, Bandar Rimbayu is in the first tier of his “locational centre of gravity for Greater Kuala Lumpur” — a 25km circle centred around the Kinrara Army Camp in Puchong.
“Since the whole project fronts the South Klang Valley Expressway, accessibility is not an issue. The location is good,” he remarks.
“If Bandar Rimbayu does well in terms of sales and promotion, then spillover effects are expected for its immediate neighbour Bandar Saujana Putra.”
According to Reapfield Marketing Consultant Sdn Bhd CEO Susan Tan, there has been a dearth of new landed properties in the past year, which will boost the appeal of Bandar Rimbayu’s first phase.
“This, together with the project’s connectivity and the developer’s reputation, will help it take off.”
“I think it’s important for homebuyers to have some equity growth in property, be it for investment or for owner occupation.
“Green features are a must. If you notice, a lot of property developers, such as S P Setia Bhd, Gamuda Land Sdn Bhd and Perdana ParkCity Sdn Bhd, are creating properties where you can experience nature in terms of landscaping and open spaces. In high-rise buildings, they compensate with features such as rainwater harvesting.”
She cited some terraced house transactions in recent months. In Kota Kemuning, newly completed 2-storey terraced houses with land areas of 20ft by 70ft and 22ft by 75ft were sold for an average price of RM630,000 and RM650,000 respectively.
In S P Setia’s Setia Alam township in Shah Alam, 2-storey terraced houses completed one to two months ago with land areas of 20ft by 70ft were sold for RM600,000 to RM650,000 while 2-storey terraced homes with land areas of 22ft by 75ft that were a year old were sold for RM650,000 to RM670,000, slightly lower than their asking price of RM680,000 to RM700,000.
CBD Properties Sdn Bhd’s executive director Steward Ship, who manages the agency’s Puchong branch and lives in Kota Kemuning, is optimistic about Bandar Rimbayu due to its sustainable concept and location.
However, he opines that to price the first phase homes at over RM500,000, the township must be “more outstanding than Kota Kemuning” due to its leasehold status.
“Bandar Rimbayu will be an important and interesting test of the market because it is the first green township of this size. If they can improve on Kota Kemuning, it will be a worthwhile investment,” he says.
He notes that that at RM500,000, the houses will be a gauge of the market’s acceptance of pricier leasehold homes, pending further details of the project.
This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 912, May 28-June 3, 2012
