For Gamuda Land, being a township developer is not just about building. It is also about continuously enhancing and upgrading its townships to add value to the community.
The latest to be refreshed is Jade Hills, a 338-acre freehold township in Kajang. Gamuda Land has made a significant investment to upgrade the development, in line with its direction to focus on placemaking, says general manager Wee Pang Siang.
Placemaking
“We are upgrading the township’s community spaces through strategic and timely placemaking initiatives that inject a breath of excitement into the community… It means more than just bringing the right components together for the community’s convenience, but also continuously and consciously maintaining them for the township and community’s long-term benefits.
Town-making is about creating great gathering places, laying out parks and lakes to open up toeach neighbourhood, planning streets that encourage walking and biking, applying good architecture and crafting beautiful streetscapes. It is about good planning and knowing where each component should be placed so that people can have a seamless
experience in the towns.
Wee says these aspects give the township a personality that residents will appreciate and want to be a part of.
Conceptualised in 2008, Jade Hills is a self-sustained, premium township with an average density of just four units per acre. It offers a resort-style lifestyle, with some 20% of the area dedicated to green spaces. Residents can enjoy 12 thematic gardens with walkways and recreational facilities.
The township has a total gross development value of RM2.4 billion and is currently home to 1,500 households. Gamuda Land is replanning the remaining 25% undeveloped land here and the township is expected to have about 2,400 households with an estimated 9,500 residents upon completion in 2024.
Enhancements
Wee says the landscape has been redesigned to incorporate more community features such as interconnecting paths to the parks and gardens without compromising on the privacy and security of individual phases.
In fact, Gamuda Land has already done some enhancements to the township, including providing a free shuttle service to and from Kajang MRT station since 2017. The journey from Jade Hills to the station is about 15 minutes.
“The new central park will be the highlight of the township that allows and encourages the residents to get to know one another,” he says.
The central park is an eight-acre residents-only park within the gated and guarded township. Completed in March, it is in the heart of Jade Hills and the main gathering place for the community. Amenities here include a treehouse, reflexology path, children’s playground with educational elements, observation deck, forest pavilion, and an outdoor fitness and par course station.
The developer has also refurbished the guardhouse, which is now fitted with RFID technology to make residents’ access into the township smoother. There is also new energy-saving overhead lighting to improve the experience of driving into the township.
The Origami Park in Jade Hills is now open
Other enhancements include the first-of-its-kind-in-Malaysia Origami Park, which is open to the public. Also completed in March, Origami Park is a three-acre public park inspired by the Japanese paper-folding art. Mindfully placed next to commercial village Jade Square within the township master plan, Origami Park is anticipated to create a symbiotic relationship between the commercial village and the public park.
The park, which is pet-friendly, has also been designed with spaces that allow for community-centric events such as bazaars and food truck stations, which will be good hangout spots for families and friends when running errands at the commercial village.
A new town square
Jade Square comprises a mix of tenants curated for multi-generational living, such as tuition centres, pre-school, pharmacy and F&B outlets
Jade Square consists of 66 units of 2- and 3-storey shophouses spread over 10 blocks. Launched in 2017, the development is fully sold and the units were in the process of being handed over since March.
Wee highlights that the mix of tenants has been carefully curated for multi-generational living. The tuition centres, a pre-school, eateries, bars, a grocer and a pharmacy serve 62,000 households with a population of 243,500 within its 10km radius.
“It is easily walkable and bikeable from around the township, and it is connected to Origami Park … Ultimately, we want to create and sustain a good township that people will want to be a part of, and grow up and grow old in.
“As Jade Hills’ population grows and flourishes, it is timely that we rejuvenate the township now, to cater for this growth and the surrounding community’s needs. These upgrades will sustain and enhance the community’s quality of life as well as offer a new look to the township. They are done after a careful study and observation of the growing demand for new placemaking initiatives to strengthen the community’s bonds.”
Wee adds that Kajang’s first drivethrough Starbucks started its operations in February near Jade Square, an indication of how the community is growing.
Contemporary home designs
The township’s rejuvenation also sees new designs for its upcoming phases. Wee explains that these phases will introduce a new look to the façades and a practicality that will enable the products to stand the test of time and be more relatable to today’s market.
“An example of that would be the launch of Blossom Springs later this year. This new product is set to be the first of its kind in Kajang — we will introduce a wide-frontage link home, which allows for a roomier and more expansive interior that provides for more natural lighting,” he says.
Blossom Springs’ superlink homes, will be launched by the end of this year. The homes will overlook the lake and have direct access to the central park.
A new central park for residents
Currently available for sale in Jade Hills are Celestial Mansions, Rymba Gardens and Jadite Suites.
Celestial Mansions offers only 28 units of 2- and 3-storey bungalows, sized from 4,522 to 5,259 sq ft. It is located at the highest vantage point of the central park. Some units enjoy both lake and central park views.
Launched in September, Rymba Gardens is a development with semi-detached homes (fully sold) and linked villas. Jadite Suites is a serviced apartment project with 79 remaining units available that are sized from 1,206 to 1,464 sq ft.
Wee says the company recently introduced Gamuda Land Online Property Deals during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Gamuda Land took bold steps to launch our Online Property Deals during the MCO period and we are happy that the response has been encouragingly good. This has accelerated our online e-commerce platform, and now everyone can browse, book and purchase a Gamuda Land property at any time, from anywhere,” he says.
