This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 6, 2024 - May 12, 2024

Tropicana Corp Bhd has launched Tropicana Alam — its first township in Puncak Alam — on April 27. According to managing director of marketing and sales/business development Ixora Ang, the leasehold township spans 362 acres on Jalan Persiaran Puncak Alam 6. It is divided into three plots — A, B and C.  Plot C is the first phase, and its first sub-phase will be launched this quarter.

“We are the last [undeveloped] piece within a mature neighbourhood. It is located near several major highways such as Latar (Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Expressway), GCE (Guthrie Corridor Expressway), DASH (Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway) and NKVE (New Klang Valley Expressway). It’s easily connected, and the travel time [is reduced]. It’s just 30 minutes away from Kota Damansara, Meru and Shah Alam, while it is 35 minutes from Mont’Kiara, Batu Caves, Selayang and Rawang,” Ang tells City & Country in an interview in Tropicana Alam.

“There are a lot of established amenities around this area that will greatly benefit the township, such as local schools, higher edu­cation institutions, commercial shops and shopping malls. There are also hypermarkets and the Sungai Buloh hospital,” says Ang.

She adds that the township’s main selling point is the grand entrance from the main road of Persiaran Puncak Alam 6. In addition, each plot will have a park that comes with a jogging track, alongside other facilities.

Ang says Plot C will have a five-acre lake and a 4½-acre central park, which will have a jogging track; children’s playground; sepak takraw, badminton and basketball courts; and pavilions. As more people are running and jogging these days, the 1.3km lakeside jogging track is designed to cater for lifestyle needs.

“Plot C is 87.42 acres and will have a total of 911 two-storey terraced houses and 608 RSKU (Rumah Selangorku) homes. It will be developed in two phases,” she says.

The RM331 million Phase 1A has 431 two-storey terraced houses, which are slated for completion by 2026. The unit’s land size is 20ft by 70ft for the typical intermediate unit while the corner unit is sized 22ft by 70ft.

There are two layout types: A and B. The main difference between the two is that Type B units are extended at the back of the house and Type A units are not.

For Type A, the built-up area is 1,917 sq ft for an immediate unit; 2,239 sq ft for a corner unit; and 1,962 sq ft for an end lot. The built-up area for some corner units with extra land can be as large as 2,270 sq ft. Meanwhile, a typical Type B unit is sized 1,991 sq ft; 2,324 sq ft for a corner unit; and 2,037 sq ft for an end lot (Type B2). Each intermediate unit and end lot will have four bedrooms and three bathrooms; and each corner unit will have four bedrooms and four  bathrooms.

“More than half of the units are of the Type A layout, which is normally for purchasers with limited budgets. The extended units are for those who are ready to have a bigger home and want to avoid the hassle of doing renovations,” Ang says.

All types have a spacious and practical layout, with an open-plan concept for the living and dining areas. The bedroom on the ground floor has a wider door for easy access for the elderly. In addition, a family space on the first floor can be converted into a study room or home office.

Ang says the starting price of the units is a generally affordable RM678,800. In terms of target market, she notes that it is looking at 80% owner-occupiers and 20% investors, particularly the Gen Y and Gen Z population aged 30 to 40. She explains that these are the people who are either first-time homebuyers or upgrading from being a tenant to becoming a homeowner.

“They are renting a home, perhaps around Petaling Jaya or North Klang Valley, and interested in our products because of our price range. We are also targeting dual-income households that earn above RM8,000 per month,” she says.

“To juggle between the construction cost and selling price, we have developed a standardisation where we can do some bulk purchasing to share with other projects … We have an edge on pricing and can lock in the price for the next five years. We also create a more economical kind of design, without too many curves to cut down on building costs.”

The township’s second launch will be the second sub-phase of Plot C. It will have 480 two-storey terraced homes and is expected to be completed in 2027.

After Plot C, the developer will launch Plot B, which is expected to have 1,780 residential units, 1,185 RSKU units and a 24.1-acre commercial plot. Plot A will have a 14.3-acre commercial plot.

Upon the township’s completion in 10 years, Tropicana Alam will have 2,691 residential units, 1,793 RSKU units and two commercial plots.

The products there will be a mix of landed homes, shops, serviced apartments and RSKU developments. Other than the parks and jogging tracks, there are also amenities such as a school, kindergarten and mosque.

For now, the plan is for all units there to have individual titles.

“There were individual-titled projects here previously, but [the newer projects] are mostly strata. We did some market research, however,  and found that buyers here typically look for individual-titled products and want to have the flexibility to change their space. The maintenance fee is another concern for our target buyers in this area,” Ang says.

“The residents can put up a guardhouse if they want, because there is an allocation of space [in the project compound], and they can do so after the RA (residents’ association) is formed. We are committed to dealing with the council for that before the formation of the RA.”

Tropicana Alam will offer things that one would expect from a Tropicana township, such as a green scape, water feature, jogging trail and park, which Ang says have helped the developer build successful townships.

“We have a product that is  high in demand in this area. Then, our price point and design are something that people can see as having tangible value. The purchasers can recognise the value in what we provide, be it in the master plan or in the product itself,” she says.

“The next challenge is when we go out to capture the market. The team has worked really hard to educate the nearby neighbourhoods on why Puncak Alam offers an ideal way of life.

“What we are bringing to Tropicana Alam is something we have already proven in other townships, whether it is open spaces or green parks. Our homes are very liveable and practical, and we add value to them. The township will be the true embodiment of the Tropicana DNA. For me, Tropicana Aman [in Kota Kemuning] is a good testimony for Tropicana Alam.”

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