Property Malaysia

The area around the limestone hills of Melawati have been pretty quite in terms of new development, partly due to the some of the issues regarding projects on steep slopes that have been highlighted in the news in recent months. Most developers are looking at other ‘faster’ areas to concentrate on, but since the Selangor exco has been appointed and started work, we think that business will now resume as usual for development in this area.

The last time we visited this area was for Serenia Gardens in nearby Ukay Perdana and Amberhill, and now Acmar has launched their Serenity Heights in the area. This isn’t really a hillside development, although they have used the words Heights in the name probably to refer to the surrounding hills that provide the view to this place. The location of the project can be conveniently described as ‘behind the zoo’. From the MRR2 highway, turn into the slip road leading to our national zoological gardens, then go straight on past Taman Zooview. Follow the narrow road along the river for about a kilometer and you will see the development on your right built on a slightly elevated ground, raised by RE walls.

Although being near the river the elevation of the project isn’t high, but the 3 rows of proposed homes are terraced on split levels, and just behind the development the forest reserve slopes up to the hills. So, hills on your back, front facing the water, there’s a Chinese saying about it, right? Further up the road leads to a kampung and further it ends in the limestone hills, there are tracks leading up frequented by jungle trekkers.

In terms of location, Serenity Heights is located away from the other hillside development clustered higher up, but the entrance to this development is along a quite narrow road that is shared by the residents of Taman Zooview, the zoo itself and the residents living deeper inside. We doubt any upgrading works can be done to this road since there isn’t any road reserve left, the river runs right beside it. So this could be a limiting factor in the years to come when the density of the area builds up. Unless, of course, the talk of relocating the zoo finally comes to fruition…

Serenity Heights is 90 units of linkhomes, all homes are four storey with the exception of a few corner units that are three storey. The units are narrow and tall, giving the impression of townhouses or low rise aparments, but they are in fact linkhomes. The units have a lot size of 26′ x 75′ at the minimum, some units have extra backyard that extends the length of the unit up to about 100′. The build-up of the unit is 4,400sq.ft. and some units have a larger buildup. There are generally three unit types to choose from but from what we can see the difference is quite minimal between units. Type B is called Enclavia (corner units) and Poetica (intermediate), Type C is called is called Passione (corner units) and Perpetua (intermediate), and Type D is called Svelte and Starre respectively. We couldn’t find a Type A. Type B is the row nearest to the clubhouse, and Type D is the highest row while the other two rows in between are made up of Type B units. Generally the corner units do not come but too much extra land, but it does offer a little bit more compared to the intermediate type. A better choice would be to choose the intermediate units with longer backyards.

The units have some architectural features that are distinct. There is a courtyard with a feature wall opening up to the sky, and at the top floor there is a sky deck which is a nice idea. It’s basically a loft floor with large windows that give a good view. Every floor has lots of window space, and balconies (for the upper floors) and this concept works well to give it a distinct look while maintaining its contemporary style. Each unit also has 3 sloped roof structures.

Aside from the guardhouse, they are planning a clubhouse but no futher details on it is available. There is also some space for a playground but its located across the main road beside the river. All in all we’d say there isn’t much common facilities.

Overall, we think the site is pretty small, and being on a hill side with different levels has forced the developer into sacrificing space to do terracing and retaining walls. The higher units seem to be much higher than the lower units, although this can probably be best seen when you view the site. We definitely this purchasers should view the actual site to make be comfortable with the platform level, as with any development on a slope. When it comes to the design, they’ve small lot size and large build-up means that four storeys are required to bulk up the space, and maybe 4 storeys is too high for some people. This aspect of the home dominates the facade, and we found it too strong a feature for a home with such a small footprint. The space available is not big, so that too is an important factor to consider. On the whole, the location of the site also requires consideration for us.

The homes cost from RM2.1million up to RM3.8million. The land is leasehold. This is pretty expensive for a linkhome, but its high concept will attract buyers.

Acmar are currently involved in a few projects across the country, some of their other projects that we’ve reviewed before are D’Rapport in Ampang and Taman Putra Impiana (Putra Homes 1 and 2).