This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 24, 2025 - March 2, 2025

As one of the last remaining large tracts available for development in the Klang Valley, Kwasa Damansara in Selangor was a popular focus on the market even before master developer Kwasa Land Sdn Bhd finalised the purchase of the site in 2012.

The township falls within the jurisdiction of both the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ). Kwasa Land acquired a total of 2,620 acres, of which 1,354 acres are freehold and the rest leasehold.

The planning of the township has taken a while and it finally saw significant developments last year. Several launches have taken place, including Tujuh Residences by MRCB Land Sdn Bhd (a subsidiary of Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd) (KL:MRCB), Dedaun Rimba by YTL Land & Development Bhd (a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Bhd) (KL:YTL), Daya Residence by TSR Capital Bhd (KL:TSRCAP), Linari Damansara by Impiana Land & Development Sdn Bhd, and Idaman Kwasa Damansara by Gagasan Nadi Cergas Bhd (KL:NADIBHD).

Kwasa Land managing director Datuk Adenan Md Yusof says Kwasa Damansara will see its first completed residential project as early as end-2025. The gross development value (GDV) of the township is expected to be between RM60 billion and RM70 billion.

Other development partners at Kwasa Damansara include Gadang Holdings Bhd (KL:GADANG) and Exsim Group. Newcomers include PPB Group Bhd (KL:PPB), Sunsuria Bhd (KL:SUNSURIA) and EDUC8 Group, which came on board last year. A developer, whose name is yet to be disclosed, has taken over 440 acres in PJ East.

“Exsim is now submitting its building plan approval for a serviced residence development on about 15 acres of land. There will be a hospital next to it. We are in talks with a few parties over developing the five-acre land [for the hospital], and we have invited a few operators to come and look at the site. Hopefully, this year, we can sign up with one of them,” Adenan says, adding that the hospital will take at least three years to complete.

Gadang’s 21.08-acre Laman Waringin will feature 152 double-storey terraced homes and 668 condominium units, and is set to be launched in 4Q2025. PPB is planning a low-density condominium for its 3.91 acres, while Sunsuria will develop a mixed residential project. These projects are located on the MBSA side of the township.

Impiana has purchased its second parcel there — 47 acres in PJ West — for a residential development called Serene Kwasa Damansara.

EDUC8 Group, which operates its flagship 50-acre Epsom College in Nilai, purchased an 11.6-acre plot in PJ West to build an international day school. It will be the first international school in the township.

Adenan says of the 2,620 acres, the total saleable land is 1,331 acres (MBSA: 358 acres, MBPJ: 983 acres), with 69% for residential/affordable housing and 31% for mixed-use and commercial developments. Kwasa Land has sold 59% of the saleable land, which amounts to about 780 acres, to 16 development partners.

“This year, we will also issue another tender exercise, opening about 200 acres in PJ West. There are 11 plots altogether, but we have divided them into three packages. These 200 acres represent another 20% of the saleable land,” he says.

“After that, we will be left with just 20% of saleable land. At the rate we are going right now, I think the township will be completed in another 10 to 15 years. There is concern that we are moving too fast … but since our current projects are mostly residential, we are not overly concerned. The demand for residential properties is still there, especially for landed properties.”

Adenan expects Kwasa Damansara to have a population of about 20,000 by 2027.

Currently, a retail lot next to Menara KWSP known as Urban Eats is being constructed. The retail lot, with a net lettable area of 40,000 sq ft, is expected to be completed next month. So far, it has secured 10 food and beverage tenants, which will take up a total of 30% of the space.

“We are also looking at bringing in a smaller grocer … something like Tesco Express in the UK. There are a few interested parties. There will also be a standalone drive-thru café, which will be taken up by Bayang Coffee,” Adenan says.

He says Kwasa Land is taking its time with the commercial developments as the population in the township is not big enough yet to support the commercial offerings.

“There is an overhang of commercial space, especially offices and retail space. We would prefer to build up the population first, and only then will we develop the commercial plots. We are also looking at reducing the allocation for commercial offerings at MBSA from 70% to 50%,” he says, adding that more commercial developments will start in 2026.

Kwasa Land’s vision is to make Kwasa Damansara a sustainable, next-generation township and one of the greenest in the Klang Valley through its development concepts of “green”, “connected” and “inclusive”. Upon completion, the area is expected to house 290,000 residents and provide 57,000 employment opportunities.

To make Kwasa Damansara an “inclusive” township, a strategic mix of components has been planned, with 11,000 of the total 28,000 homes designated as affordable housing. It will be built by Nadi Cergas.

For the next few years, Adenan says the developer will focus on the “green” and “connected” elements, with the aim of making Kwasa Damansara a low-carbon city. There will be a total of 251 acres of green and open spaces. To make it “connected”, the area will be accessible via the Kwasa Damansara and Kwasa Sentral MRT stations as well as the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway.

“One of our visions for Kwasa Damansara is to create a lifestyle that includes healthy living, green spaces and easy access to public amenities. That’s why we want to enhance our landscape, and we are investing heavily in it, especially at our central park, Taman Bandar.”

A main feature of the enhancement works is a 27km pedestrian path stretching throughout the township that includes a pedestrian bridge across Jalan Sungai Buloh — called the Eco Bridge — to connect the MBSA and MBPJ sides. This bridge will be the landmark of Kwasa Damansara.

Kwasa Land is also looking to create a community forest, which will be an educational eco-park, at PJ West.

“No other development has done that. At PJ West, there is a hill called Bukit Nibong Gila, which we will keep as it is. What we are creating is essentially a pedestrian park and jungle path connecting that hill to the other plots within PJ West. It is going to be educational, with names and information about the trees and plants. There will be a viewing platform for planes taking off and landing at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport,” he explains.

Currently, the MBSA and MBPJ sides of Kwasa Damansara are separated by Jalan Sungai Buloh. Kwasa Land will build a new vehicle underpass to connect both sides to avoid disturbance to the traffic flow on Jalan Sungai Buloh.

Additionally, the developer is building a multi-storey park and ride facilities at the Kwasa Damansara MRT station, as well as at Masjid Kwasa Damansara next to Taman Bandar.

“We want it to be a different township from the rest. We have strategised, we’ve planned and now we are focusing on the execution. The execution is crucial to turn our vision into reality. To make it a good township, you must have all the amenities. We are introducing national and international schools, hospitals, public amenities and so on. At the same time, to create a healthy lifestyle, we need to introduce proper green areas and pathways for jogging,” he says.

“And that’s what we are focusing on: to make Kwasa Damansara the preferred township.”

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