This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 6, 2023 - March 12, 2023

Jalan Jalil 1, which is located across from Pavilion Bukit Jalil shopping mall and runs along Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil, used to be a quiet commercial street until the shopping mall opened in December 2021.

The street is part of WZR Group’s The Earth Bukit Jalil development, which also comprises Paraiso Residence Bukit Jalil as well as a one-acre piece of undeveloped land. Completed in 2015, Jalan Jalil 1 is lined with 46 units of four-storey shopoffices with lot sizes of 24ft by 70ft, 25ft by 70ft, 24ft by 61ft, 34ft by 61ft and 25ft by 60ft, according to See Kok Loong, executive director of Metro Homes Realty Bhd.

“The shopoffices are mainly tenanted, and the majority of the tenants recently moved in, as the first batch of tenants mostly moved out during the construction of Pavilion Bukit Jalil, which affected traffic flow,” he says.

See adds that the shopoffices, which have lifts, have good exposure due to their location. Target customers include residents of Bukit Jalil, Puchong as well as residents of Paraiso Residence, which is located on Jalan Jalil 2 and was completed and handed over last year.

See reckons that the success of Pavilion Bukit Jalil will have a positive impact on the shopoffices as the commercial street is connected directly to the mall via a pedestrian bridge.

“The growing popularity of Pavilion Bukit Jalil, as one of the most popular malls in the Puchong, Bukit Jalil and Old Klang Road area, will benefit the shopoffices. Behind the shopoffices, the construction of KL Wellness City, the largest wellness city in Malaysia with a 1,000-bed hospital, presents further opportunities for growth in the area. These factors combined offer great potential for The Earth Bukit Jalil,” he adds.

A visit to Jalan Jalil 1 reveals that it suffers from the same problem as many other commercial streets in the Klang Valley — insufficient parking — thus resulting in double parking and parking on yellow and white lines.

Patrons of the shopoffices note that some shopping mall patrons park in Jalan Jalil 1 and Jalan Jalil 2 before visiting the mall via the pedestrian bridge, causing more congestion.

“[Also], there are confusing traffic flows, with some parts being one way and others being two ways. And accessibility, due to the U-turn in front of the development, can be confusing and inconvenient for shoppers and visitors,” he explains.

“The project being built on sloping land with overhead power lines at a higher level limits potential solutions for the parking issues. One possible solution is to lease land from TNB to use the space beneath the overhead power lines for parking by levelling the entrance and exit to provide more parking bays.”

Nevertheless, See is positive about the future prospects of the shopoffices on Jalan Jalil 1.

Current market prices for the shopoffices, he says, are estimated at between RM3 million and RM3.5 million, while asking rental prices for ground-floor units are between RM5,000 and RM5,500 per month. Offices on upper floors are being rented for RM2,000 to RM2,500 per month.

According to See, the latest transaction was that of a 1,496.18 sq ft first-floor corner unit sold at RM3.18 million or RM2,125.41 psf in August last year. It is also the highest psf price recorded for the shopoffices in Jalan Jalil 1.

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