Making its mark on Penang


The upcoming Eco Bloom will have amenity-packed yet affordable condominiums sitting atop a retail podium.

Eco World Development Group Bhd, driven by a vision to ‘create tomorrow and beyond’, is gradually transforming Penang’s skyline with unique projects.

Its Eco Terraces is taking shape in Paya Terubong on the island, so too are Eco Meadows and Eco Bloom in Bukit Tambun on the mainland.

Towards the year end, the company will unveil the eagerly anticipated Eco Marina in Bandar Cassia on the mainland near Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge.

Eco World Penang general manager Khoo Teck Chong said all the projects have a verdant touch inventively crafted around different lifestyle concepts.

The RM430mil Eco Terraces, launched in mid-2015, is unique because 70% of its overall 12.79 acres are dedicated to landscaping and greenery.

These are split into five zones — The Lawn, The Arch, The Commune, The Mesa and The Trail — which surround a 33-storey residential tower of 333 units, with 40% already taken up.

“We finished The Lawn during Chinese New Year. It has open green spaces, a gazebo and small cafe that has attracted many visitors.

“Work has started on the tower’s foundations, and one can expect to see it rise within a month or two,” said Khoo.

The road in front of the project has been upgraded, while a paired road from Air Itam to Relau and an artery linking Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway are being worked on.

At the RM918mil Eco Meadows, the 375 units of double-storey Northampton Terrace homes have been well-received, with all but the bumiputra units already sold out.

“Many are drawn to its stately English elegance, landscaped surroundings, security features, and fully gated and guarded concept, which is rather novel to the mainland,” Khoo said.

Piling for the terraced homes has commenced, and the company estimates completing the units ahead of schedule by early 2018.

First-time property buyers should keep a lookout for Eco Bloom, a mixed residential-commercial development located on a 4.8-acre land within Eco Meadows.

It will have 490 condominiums in a 33-storey block. They are sized at 800, 900 and 1,100sq ft, with either two or three bedrooms. Priced below RM400,000, they will be among the most affordable and lowest priced properties of its kind.

“Our surveys show that the younger generation doesn’t need big units and they prefer affordable average-sized ones.

“We cater to this need while keeping to the lifestyle luxuries Eco World properties are synonymous to,” Khoo noted.

There are 23 double-storey shoplots on the first two podium levels, sized at 22ft x 60ft for the lower ones and 22ft x 68ft for those on the upper level.

“We will carefully select potential tenants to ensure an optimum mix of retailers.

“We’ll also play matchmaker and help pair shop lot owners with suitable tenants,” he added.

Shop lot owners who wish to run their own enterprises, buy then lease out or apply for franchise licences are also eligible for Eco World’s newly launched Pioneer, Investment and Franchising Grants to help offset their start-up costs.

These grants provide them with funding of up to 3.5% of the property’s purchase price.

It will be disbursed monthly for three to 12 months after commencement of their businesses, subject to certain thresholds and conditions.

Facing Eco Bloom’s commercial lots will be the 23,000sq ft Bloom Garden for al fresco dining and residents’ leisure needs.

Khoo said the property would be launched by the middle of this year, with a targeted mid-2019 completion.

The Eco Marina at Bandar Cassia — along the Sungai Jawi river mouth where the Pulau Aman Jetty is — has entered the final planning stage and would be unveiled by the third quarter this year.

Among the planned components in the 470-acre and RM10bil project will be an 18-hole international golf course with mixed residential and commercial components on rolling hills by the water.

“It will be the first integrated waterfront development on the mainland and perhaps the only one in Penang built on solid and not reclaimed land.

“The hill at its back affords good feng shui with a waterfront view of both Penang’s bridges,” said Khoo.

The company also launched its Eco World Home Plus campaign in partnership with OCBC Bank, offering easy entry for home buyers, which runs until the end of September.

For details, visit EcoWorld Galleries@Macalister Road (04-2292255) and Eco Terraces in Jalan Paya Terubong (04-8275522) or Eco Meadows in Jalan Paboi (04-5102255).

You can also visit www.ecoworld.my. - The Star

No comments