This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 29, 2022 - September 4, 2022

Sunrise MCL Land Sdn Bhd will launch Phase 2 of residential development Arden Hill in its Forest Heights township in the fourth quarter of the year. The 488-acre township, located between Rahang and Senawang in Seremban, has a total of six precincts.

Arden Hill, which has a gross development value (GDV) of RM245 million, occupies a 34-acre tract in Precinct 2. Phase 1 of the project was soft-launched in January and has a take-up rate of 93%.

UEM Sunrise Bhd chief marketing officer Kenny Wong Koon Keng tells City & Country how the township began. “Sunrise MCL Land’s Forest Heights is a result of a collaboration between UEM Sunrise and MCL Land, which is part of Hong Kong Land (HKL). The 50:50 joint venture started in 2004, so that’s 18 years in the making. Sunrise Bhd, which owned the land, merged with UEM in 2010. It’s safe to say that this is an established township with a very vibrant community,” he says. HKL is a property investment and development group with interests across Asia.

Precinct 1 consists of Forest Avenue, which has 104 stratified shopoffices launched in 2009. Besides Arden Hill, Cassia Homes, comprising 56 bungalows, is also situated in Precinct 2.

Precinct 3 — consisting of ­Broadhill Residence, Begonia and Aster — and Precinct 4 — comprising Forest Bayu 1 and 2, Parkland Homes, Aurora, Orion and ­Spektra — have been completely built and sold, with only a handful of units still available. Precinct 5 is partly developed, with the launch of ­Agora in 2015. Meanwhile, Precinct 6, comprising more than 300 shopoffices, has yet to be developed.

Arden Hill is a modern and contemporary, but colonial-inspired, two-storey link house development, comprising 218 and 211 units in Phases 1 and 2 respectively. 

“The units have different sizes to accommodate small and large families,” says Wong.

The development which offers six layout types, consists of intermediate, end-lot and corner units, with built-ups ranging from 1,610 to 2,450 sq ft, land sizes of 20ft by 65ft to 24ft by 70ft, and selling prices from RM492,000 to RM917,000.

According to Wong, the monthly maintenance fee is estimated at RM80 to RM120, which will be used for the security services and maintenance of the guard house. He adds that the residents’ association (RA) will take over the collection of the maintenance fee after two years.

Arden Hill will be the second neighbourhood after Broadhill to have pre-installed green features. Wong says, “All units offer a built-in recycling compartment in the refuse chamber. The local city council will collect the recycling items weekly.

“The corner units come with additional built-in solar bathroom appliances and booster pumps. We provide them only for these units to retain the price of the intermediate and end-lot units, so that it remains affordable for first-time homebuyers.”

Wong takes pride in the positive response that the project has received so far.

“We have had more than 200 registrants [for Arden Hill] since last year, and we’re positive there will be more after the project is officially launched,” he says.

Getting to this point was no mean feat, though. “We had a bit of a setback in the past two years because of the Movement Control Order (MCO), and the launch of Arden Hill was delayed by nine months. At that point in time, constructions were restricted and we couldn’t build show units. Getting approval from the authorities was also challenging.

“Although we were able to sell virtually, homebuyers usually prefer to physically view a project because it’s a big investment. Therefore, we intentionally delayed the launch of Arden Hill. We did a soft launch early this year and the pent-up demand was really amazing,” says Wong.

Another challenge is the rising cost of materials, which is up an estimated 15% to 20% from last year, as well as labour shortage due to the movement restrictions during the pandemic. “We have already put in place some cost management and cost procurement strategies to help us close the gap. We also work with renowned contractors and are acutely aware of house-buying patterns. We tend to share materials across different projects to cultivate effective cost management practices,” he says.

Proposed facilities in the vicinity include the three-acre Arden Park, a 2km designated jogging track, sunken gardens, a children’s playground, an amphitheatre, viewing decks, fitness stations, a multipurpose court and cocoon seating.

“The layout of the Arden Hill neighbourhood encourages residents and communities to get together, as we have learnt from the pandemic that spending time outside the home is good for both our physical and mental health,” says Wong.

He highlights that the neighbourhood comes with three-tier security: a guardhouse, CCTVs and perimeter fencing surrounding the area. The RA room is also situated at the guardhouse.

“The residential projects in Forest Heights were one of the first gated and guarded communities in Seremban. Every phase in the township has single-entry access because those buying for their own use will essentially look at security, so we have to ensure that aspect is well executed. We are targeting first-time homebuyers, multigenerational families and those looking to live in Seremban while working in the Klang Valley,” he says.

“Arden Hill is in a prime location in Forest Heights. The only other development in Precinct 2 was Cassia, which is where it all started. Precinct 2 is 364ft above sea level, offering a panoramic view of Gunung Angsi, which is part of the Banjaran Titiwangsa mountain range.”

Forest Heights has a 12km jogging track, which is connected to the township’s 4-acre central park called Forest Park, and a 4.5km designated cycling lane. Nearby amenities include hypermarkets such as Econsave, Lotus, Giant and Mydin, and the Senawang Hospital.

In addition, Forest Avenue in Precinct 1, which has a take-up rate of 83%, offers stores and services such as restaurants, a car wash, kindergarten, pet shop, laundromat, an Islamic education centre as well as office spaces occupied by associations, consultants and law and tech firms. A mosque with a capacity of 1,500 will be completed in 2023.

There are two schools in Forest Hill — SJK (C) Forest Heights and SMK Taman Forest Heights. “The township has a large number of multigenerational families and the registrants of Arden Hill include large families. Most buyers purchase for their own use, so having schools nearby would cater to their needs,” says Wong.

Majlis Perbandaran Seremban is located at the entry point of Forest Heights. Wong says the relocation of local government offices in the township is a major plus because it encourages people from Seremban to enter the township, which will eventually boost its commercial activities.

In terms of connectivity, the development is accessible via the North-South Expressway (PLUS), Kajang-Seremban (LEKAS) Highway and Seremban Inner Ring Road. The Senawang and Seremban KTM stations are about 3km from the township. “On a toll-to-toll basis, it is about 30 minutes from the Seremban toll to the Sungai Besi toll,” he says.

Wong is optimistic about the future of Arden Hill and its impact on the township. “Generally speaking, if they can afford it, Malaysians prefer landed residential properties. Furthermore, Arden Hill is a freehold, individual-titled property, so these are arguably the things that people look for when it comes to the criteria of buying a house.

“The current population of Forest Heights is about 6,200, and once Phase 2 of Arden Hill is completed, we anticipate about 8,300 people living here — or five people a family. By the time the entire township is completed in 2028, the population would have doubled or tripled. With the completion of Arden Hill, we will be about halfway there.”

After Arden Hill, the developer will focus mainly on an upcoming centrepiece in Precinct 2, which will offer premium link and cluster homes. It also has plans for future developments in Precincts 5 and 6.

Wong says, “The initial plans are already in place. The team has already briefed the board [of both partners] on the rest of the plans for the master township. Precincts 1 and 6 will be adjacent to each other and we are in the midst of getting the right consultants to look into the design. We want to do something different from the other commercial lots in Seremban and make it more vibrant so that not only residents of Forest Heights, but also people from all over Seremban will come.

“After Arden Hill, the focus will be on the centrepiece, whose concept, theme and name will be determined within the next year. We will work on one phase at a time. We have to be careful [in managing] demand so that [the projects] don’t clash with each other. Long-term planning has been done and the infrastructure has been completed. So, much of the focus will be on the centrepiece and commercial parts.

“For the foreseeable future, UEM Sunrise will focus on phases of projects that have ready-made infrastructure. So, a large portion of the cost incurred will be for the development itself,” he adds.

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