Property Malaysia

Some two and a half years back some of you may remember Ameera launched by SDB Properties along Jalan SS2/72 beside the landmark Jasmine Towers. Now with Ameera nearing completion and handover, they have just launched a second project next to it called Five Stones. These two projects are part of a larger plot of land, there is a third parcel earmarked for commercial use across the river facing Section 19.

Why is it not Ameera Phase 2 but rather a different name and concept? Well, if some of you property watchers may well remember correctly, this entire parcel of land was bought over from Luxor Properties who were planning to launch their then Park 19 project (we even visited their sales launch for that non-starter project before the title changed hands). So Ameera was a retouched Park 19 with only a slight changes to fit into SDB’s well known high concept and branding.

With the second phase, Five Stones they have an opportunity to start on a clean slate for design and concept purposes.

Location. SS2 is a landmark of upper middle class suburban living that has not succumbed to over development in recent years. With its still vibrant commercial area that serves the surrounding catchment of decades old landed homes, this neighbourhood is now seeing a need of condominiums (but not too dense like Mont’Kiara) to cater for the younger generation who don’t want to stay too far away. There are good reasons why this location is prized - connectivity via the LDP, Sprint and NKVE, KL isn’t too far away, more existing amenities than you can ever ask for, etc.

The overall concept of Five Stones is intergenerational living under one roof, and large spaces beyond your home. There are five blocks of units, currently only 3 are open for sale. What distinguishes this project from its competitors is the luxury of space, not only for the buyers unit but for the development. From the current 3 blocks open for sales, two are low rise villa units (somewhat similar to the ones available in Ameera) while one is a highrise condo. So low density characterizes Five Stones, plus the units are large. But what clinches it is the open courtyard in the centre of the five towers - a landscaped area (no doubt will contain 5 large granite stones, or something to that effect). Coupled with that are impressive common facilities which include a Kompan playground and a landscaped parked that highlight the concept of the development. The facilities divided into a ‘quieter’ area at the center courtyard (healing gym, swimming pool) and the ‘noisier’ area at the clubhouse (which includes a larger gym and basketball courts).

Block A is the 38-storey highrise condo with the clubhouse on the ground floor. There are 147 units here with up to 4 units per floor. The units here have either 3+1 or 4+1 rooms, sized from 1,785 to 2,254sq.ft. Penthouse duplex units are available for 3,390 and 4,491sq.ft. The design here is interesting in that while there are 4 units per floor, each unit is independent of the others and you do not have any party walls, thereby giving each unit for open window space.

Block B is a low rise villa and has 4 floors with 8 units only, from 2,381 to 3,009sq.ft. Some units come with a private garden. Block C is also midrise villas (30 units) but with larger buildup (

For those of you who have seen Ken 3 or Ameera (or is familiar with the old village here), the terrain slopes down from the high point of Jalan SS2/72 down to the river (actually its a large monsoon drain) that divides SS2 and Section 19. At the moment you can see at the site they have excavated it down level for 3 levels of basement parking.

Prices average about RM460psf, so the pricing for the Villas is from RM907,000 to RM4,353,000 while condominiums are available from RM898,000 to RM2,801,500. The developer is packaging some freebies with the units, please check with the salespeople for details.

Bottomline - Of course this isn’t cheap. But is the price tag justified (we overheard ‘Mont’Kiara prices in SS2′). Considering the location and freehold land, we dare say it is. But what sells it is the concept and branding that is obviously well thought of, and implemented well. The large buildup of the units contribute to the pricing, but they are obviously targeting large families, not the average bachelor pad kind of deal.

SDB Properties are known as a niche developer whose completed projects include Amansari 18 in Puchong and Park Seven in KLCC. Other than Ameera, currently they are also developing 20 Trees in Melawati, Jia in Singapore and Damansara 21.