This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 18, 2023 - December 24, 2023

BRDB Developments Sdn Bhd will be celebrating its diamond jubilee next year during which it has plans to launch projects within the Klang Valley.

It will be a very exciting and interesting year for the company, says group CEO Christopher Manivannan during an exclusive interview with City & Country at the BRDB Gallery in Bangsar. “Since 1964, we have done good developments and enhanced people’s lives, and we hope to continue to do that.”

BRDB’s launches next year include Federal ­Avenue, a mixed-use development in Subang Jaya; landed homes at its Senja development in Seri Kembangan; and its next flagship project, Eden in Jalan Gallagher, in Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur.

“We have always taken a two-pronged strategy, which is to only launch a flagship project once every five to six years, and to do more ‘bread-and-butter’ developments in between to supplement profitability and cash flow. So we try not to use up our prime land bank very fast, and we try to get the best value out of it,” he shares.

While the key details are still under wraps, Christopher briefly shares that Eden, a flagship project that BRDB aims to launch in 3Q2024, will have a gross development value (GDV) of RM1.2 billion and comprise 146 apartment units in eight blocks on a 12-acre freehold parcel. “Eden will be low-rise, have a lot of green landscapes and offer big units ranging from 5,000 sq ft. The whole concept is resort-inspired and serene, for people to come back to and just relax.”

He adds that the target market will be similar to BRDB’s Serai Bukit Bandaraya development in Bangsar. “Eden is for people who are living in bungalows and want to downsize or rightsize, and live in an affluent community. Prices will be announced at a later date.”

The developer is currently doing up a show unit for the project, which is scheduled to be completed next year.

Meanwhile, the company plans to launch Federal Avenue and Senja Lakeside Estate Phase 2 in 4Q2024 and 1Q2024 respectively.

With a total land area of 25.25 acres and fronting the Federal Highway, Federal Avenue will have an estimated GDV of RM2.6 billion. “We bought the land in 2008 when there were not many developments happening in the area. Subsequently, other developers started to come in to develop the pieces of land [including Tropicana Metropark] near ours, so we have collaborated with them to improve the ingress and egress of the place,” says Christopher.

He further notes that the tearing down of the Batu Tiga toll plaza in front of the site is a boon. “When we purchased the land, the toll collection was one of the big hindrances for us because people then would have to pay toll to enter their homes. After the toll plaza was removed [in 2018], we wanted to do something but then Covid-19 hit. As BRDB is not a listed company, we don’t have pressure to launch projects, so we took our time. And we feel that now is the right time to launch this project.”

Due to its size, Federal Avenue will be divided into two plots — Plot 1 (6.83 acres) and Plot 2 (5.82 acres), while the remaining 12.6 acres will be surrendered to Subang Jaya City Council (MPSJ) for a park and infrastructure (8.7 acres) as well as to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (3.38 acres) and Indah Water Konsortium (0.3 acre), and to build an on-site detention pond (0.22 acre).

While plans for Plot 2 have yet to be drawn up, Plot 1 will comprise four phases — Phases 1A and 1C (serviced apartments) and 1B and 1D (office suites and retail). “We will have about 1,100 serviced apartment units in Plot 1,” says Christopher.

The first launch at Federal Avenue will be that of Phase 1C, which will comprise 751 serviced apartments over two blocks and have a GDV of RM455 million. The apartments will come in five layout types with built-ups of 550, 720, 865, 1,070 and 1,390 sq ft.

The smallest unit — at 550 sq ft — will have 1+1 rooms and 1 bathroom, while the largest — at 1,390 sq ft — will have 3+1 rooms and 2 bathrooms. The units are priced at RM690 psf or from RM350,000 and the monthly maintenance will be around 35 to 40 sen psf.

Phase 1C targets investors, first-time homebuyers, young couples, professionals, frequent travellers as well as small and mid-sized families. “We have priced this on a slightly lower side to make it more accessible to new buyers, especially the younger generation, and to create value for them.

“We believe this is a good place to stay, now that the toll has been abolished. The development is also located in close proximity to Subang Airport, which the government intends to revive. Coupled with the surrounding amenities such as shopping malls and healthcare facilities in the area, Federal Avenue ticks many boxes,” Christopher adds.

Federal Avenue enjoys direct access to the Federal Highway, which links it to Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and Klang, as well as the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), New Pantai Expressway (NPE) and the North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE). It is also near the Batu Tiga KTM station and Subang Jaya LRT station.

Nearby amenities include Sunway Pyramid, NU Empire, Da Men Mall, Aeon Mall Shah Alam, Sri KDU International School, SMK Subang Jaya, INTI International University & Colleges, SEGi College Subang Jaya, Monash University Malaysia, Sunway University, Taylor’s University, KPJ Specialist Hospital, Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Sunway Medical Centre.

In addition to a 1.3-acre green park and two smaller pet-friendly parks at Federal Avenue, residents can also enjoy recreation amenities in the vicinity such as the Subang Ria Recreational Park, Kelab Golf Negara Subang, Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam and Sunway Lagoon.

Federal Avenue is designed to be vibrant, says Christopher. “I think this concept will appeal to the younger demographic. We plan to bring life and activities and create a hub for the younger people.”

“We will move on to the retail and office components in Plot 1 after the serviced apartments are launched. Phase 1A serviced apartments, comprising 349 units, will come after we exhaust the serviced apartments in Phase 1C,” he adds.

Phase 1C is slated to be completed in 2Q2029 while Federal Avenue’s sales gallery and show units are targeted to be completed in 3Q2024.

Located adjacent to the high-end residential Bluwater Estate, Senja Lakeside Estate is BRDB’s upmarket gated-and-guarded strata landed development in Seri Kembangan. It comprises 278 homes spread across a 47.52-acre leasehold parcel.

Launched in 2013, Phase 1 comprises 114 landed homes, all of which have been sold. The homes are currently 95% occupied (80% by owner-occupiers and 15% by tenants).

“When we launched Senja, we were trying to bring a new kind of development to Seri Kembangan, so we built three-storey landed strata homes and a clubhouse,” says Christopher. “The reason we took a pause before launching the next phase was because we found that it took time for people to accept strata development in the area. And now the time has come for us to launch the next chapter.”

With a GDV of RM210 million, Senja Phase 2 will comprise 83 three-storey superlinks, semidees and zero-lot bungalows on 10.93 acres.

The superlinks will measure 26ft by 92ft, have built-ups starting from 3,398 sq ft and come with 4+1 rooms, 5 bathrooms; the semidees will measure 39ft by 97ft with built-ups starting from 4,299 sq ft and come with 5+1 rooms, 6 bathrooms; and the zero-lot bungalows will measure 45ft by 98ft, have built-ups from 4,924 sq ft and come with 5+1 rooms, 6 bathrooms.

Slated to be completed in 4Q2026, the homes in Phase 2 are priced at an average of RM650 psf or range from RM1.6 million to RM4 million. The monthly maintenance will start from 18 sen psf.

Christopher shares that Phase 2 homes will come with an improved design. “We have included a bedroom and bathroom downstairs to cater for multigenerational living. Homes will be disability- and wheelchair-friendly, and we’ve included electric vehicle (EV) charging provisions [in the car porch] as well as improvised the layouts and designs to provide a more well-rounded living experience for residents of all ages.”

Other features of the landed homes include en suite bathrooms, flexible layouts for owners to install lifts, a dedicated laundry area for the semidees and zero-lot bungalows, and a rain harvesting system for gardening purposes. The homes can accommodate four to six cars.

Residents are also able to enjoy existing clubhouse facilities such as a swimming pool, tennis court, sauna and gymnasium within the development.

According to Christopher, Phase 2 homes are ideal for those who want to upgrade from condominiums or smaller landed properties, young families as well as multigenerational families. “I believe there’s always demand for landed properties in Seri Kembangan. Although it’s near the bustling parts of Seri Kembangan with eateries and so on, the development is nestled in a secluded and serene area next to a lake.”

Connected to major highways namely Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), North-South Expressway (NSE), Kajang Dispersal Link Highway (SILK) and Sungai Besi Expressway (BESRAYA), Senja Lakeside Estate is located near the Australian International School Malaysia, Hua Xin International School, University Putra Malaysia, Alice Smith Secondary School, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, Columbia Asia Hospital Cheras, Serdang Hospital, Pantai Hospital Cheras, The Mines Shopping Mall, Aeon Mall Cheras Selatan, Pavilion Bukit Jalil and IOI City Mall Putrajaya.

The company also aims to launch the final two phases of Senja by 1Q2025. “Once we launch Phase 2, I believe Phases 3 and 4 will move very fast. We hope to finish Senja and close this chapter soon.”

Phase 3 will comprise 34 semidees and zero-lot bungalows on 6.3 acres whereas Phase 4 will offer 47 zero-lot bungalows and bungalows on 8.49 acres.

“I believe the next three phases are going to be a hit as we’ve updated the designs to make the place more resort-like. This resonates well with the BRDB brand,” says Christopher.

Going forward, BRDB will continue to move beyond its Bangsar stronghold. “We are trying to move away from Bangsar as we have only got a few pieces of land left, including this piece where we are now at (BRDB Gallery), which we plan to only look at later on.

“We will be moving to other areas in the Klang Valley. We already went to Puchong in 2020 with The Pulse Residence, which is fully sold and recently topped out, and are now venturing into Subang Jaya,” Christopher says.

Meanwhile, the company continues to look out for more land in the Klang Valley. “We recently acquired a piece of land that is contiguous to our existing land bank on Jalan Langgak Golf in Taman U-Thant, Kuala Lumpur. So, now we have a better piece of land measuring 1.55 acres where one side faces Jalan U-Thant, and the other faces the golf course,” Christopher shares.

BRDB has land bank in Rawang and Johor as well.

In terms of ongoing projects, its Miranda Hill condominium development in North Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, is 70% sold since its official launch in March this year. The development comprises 552 units over two towers on a 7.84-acre parcel. “From the start, I knew this was going to be a seller. Reasons being this development is sited on the highest point of North Kiara, its location is very well-connected, it has a good ratio of green spaces, has dual entrances into the property and it’s near the upcoming MRT Line 3 Bukit Segambut station, which is expected to be ready by 2030.”

Christopher is sanguine about the market despite the challenges. “I think the market has been quite challenging since last year. However, there is always a silver lining. We believe that there will always be people who are looking to buy homes, either to stay in, as an investment or for the next generation; it’s just a matter of what they want to invest in.

“For us, we will always look at it holistically, with our intelligent design, aesthetics and cosmopolitan living concept, and our ideas are mainly dependent on the location, its demographics and the demand and supply. Hence, we will always study the market before embarking on the next project,” he concludes.

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