An Inside Look At Kota Kemuning

By: Michelle Boon

Located 36 kilometres West of Kuala Lumpur City Centre, lies Kota Kemuning. A green and vibrant enclave just minutes away f rom Shah Alam and closer still to Klang, Kota Kemuning is a 1,854-acre integrated township developed by HICOM-Gamuda, a strategic partnership between DRB-HICOM Berhad and Gamuda Berhad.

The development of Kota Kemuning first began in 1995, more than two decades ago, and was envisioned to be a township that epitomises quality living, supported by a sustainable master plan that incorporates quality products, amenities and infrastructure. Each residential component is designed with its own unique character, cultivating a harmonious living environment whilst its retail and office spaces are built to exude a sense of intimacy with the green spaces creating a vibrant work-leisure balance.

Ngan Chee Meng, Chief Executive Officer of Gamuda Land says that Kota Kemuning was first conceptualised in 1995. The first phase of Kota Kemuning was launched in 1996 and handed over in 1998. 20 years down the road, Kota Kemuning is now a thriving self-sustained township featuring a 22-acre wetland park, a community mall known as Gamuda Walk, a place where people can spend their evenings and weekends getting to know each other as a community as well as the international standard golf course Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. This was made possible with mindful town planning.” He adds, ”when we plan our towns, we not only think of the home place but also the play place, park place, work place, shopping and eating place as well as infrastructure and connectivity. When we get these places right, the town works.”

Kota Kemuning is Gamuda Land’s maiden property development undertaking. With KESAS Highway being developed by Gamuda Land’s sister company Gamuda Engineering back then, the developer saw the opportunity in the area as it creates ease of accessibility from Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya to Kota Kemuning all the way to Shah Alam and Klang.

Furthermore, according to Ngan, with the rapid population growth in Subang Jaya in the mid-90s, it was a strategic decision to venture into Kota Kemuning and that decision has proven fruitful. Since its inception 24 years ago, Kota Kemuning has developed into a unique hub for living, dining, working and playing driven by the designs of its precincts and the green areas surrounding it making it one of the most sought-after townships in the Klang Valley.

Ngan says that Kota Kemuning township has matured over the years with a population of over 100,000 and is still growing.

“It is also steadily gaining traction as the upcoming suburban hotspot with key property developers entering the area in recent years due to easy connectivity via direct access to KESAS Highway and Elite Highway that adds to the appeal of Kota Kemuning.” He adds that Gamuda Land sees opportunity for further growth in Kota Kemuning due to its strategic location and various offerings in both residential as well as commercial components, which will furtherenhance the lifestyle of the community here. “For example, the Quayside Mall in our new mixed-development, twentyfive.7, will bring in the first cinema within a 10km radius of the area as well as many popular F&B outlets, grocer and placemaking initiatives (the Buzz.ar at twentyfive.7) to enliven the place.”

CURRENT ATTRACTIONS

Kota Kemuning is part of a 4,000-acre larger development of the Guthrie Corridor. Included in the project is a privatised highway and six integrated townships including Bukit Jelutong. This much larger plan was envisioned to become a benchmark for future townships moving forward in terms of infrastructure, community building, identity as well as safety and security. Kota Kemuning strives to offer a variety of housing types and public facilities, retail and office. Being in close proximity to three major highways including the North South Expressway Central Link (ELITE), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS) highway and the Kemuning-Shah Alam highway (LKSA) highway, with connectivity to Shah Alam, Su ba ng Jaya, USJ, Petaling Jaya, Puchong, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya has enabled Kota Kemuning to become a highly-populated, highly-utilised area which has opened itself to new opportunities like transport-oriented activities and industrial enterprises.

Among the key attractions of Kota Kemuning is the Bukit Kemuning Golf & Country Resort and the award-winning Kota Permai Golf & Country Club which is the hallmark of the township. The Kota Permai Golf & Country Club provides a resort-style setting with an international standard 18-hole golf course designed by Ross Watson, a world-renowned golf course designer. Among its other key features include the Gamuda Walk mall, modern infrastructure and facilities, multipurpose halls, kindergartens, a mosque, primary and secondary schools, large open spaces and parks. Other attractions include the Central Lake, Wetland Park and Hill Park.

The Central Lake is one of Kota Kemuning’s jewels with its vast green spaces, parks and lakes as well as its landscaped gardens. Up to 45% of the area has been allocated to green space, providing the residents with a healthy living and leisure environment with its eight-kilometre walkway that weaves in between the neighbourhoods liking the residential areas and the parks together. The25-acre park surrounding the lake also offers the Lakeside Drive, a stunning area overlooking the lake promoting leisure and wellness for the township’s residents.

The Wetland Park is Kota Kemuning’s 22-acre, award winning parkland with a tropical wilderness theme. It has now become a habitat for a variety of bird species as well as the perfect location for a plethora of flora and fauna. It was converted from a swamp land by Gamuda Land into what is now one of the most vibrant areas in Kota Kemuning. The Wetland Park is not only a place for residents to relax a nd enjoy the scenery, but also as a place to educate young, curious minds on the importance of conservation and exploration. In 2003, the Wetland Park received two awards; the Landscape Planning Award by the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architecture and the Urban Redevelopment, Conservation and Rehabilitation Award by the Malaysian Institute of Planners.

The Hill Park in Kota Kemuning is set on top of a hill in the township. It spans three acres and was built around existing green space, carefully preserved for the benefit of future residents that would someday call Kota Kemuning home. The lush and mature greenery includes a jogging trail, reflexology path, timber lookout deck and a gazebo. The Hill Park received the Landscape Community Park award by the State Government of Selangor in 2003.

Kota Kemuning is also made up of various precincts, either developed by Gamuda itself, or through sale of land to other developers looking to realise the township into what it had been envisioned during the early days of planning. There are four main residential precincts including the south golf precinct, north golf precinct, hillcourt precinct and garden precinct. There are no less than 26 neighbourhoods in these four precincts; each of which are named after special locations, landscape features, water features, home designs and nature.

Among the precincts of Kota Kemuning, include Kota Kemuning Hills, an exclusive gated residential component nestled atop a lush, green hill. This precinct is designed and developed on the highest point of the township and overlooks the extraordinary views of Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. The residential units sit among verdant greenery which is combined with a lush tropical setting, offering home owners privacy and luxury. The masterplan ensures the uniqueness of its green space is retained to provide continuous ‘hilltop character’ and special efforts were taken to maintain the naturally undulating landscape of Kota Kemuning Hills. Its amenities include 12 acres of parkland and landscaped gardens as well as a 2.8 kilometre perimeter trail enveloping the surrounding area and a 1.2 kilometre parkway located right in the middle of Kota Kemuning Hills.

Another precinct is Bandar Botanic, a parkland township complete with a botanical garden that spans 80 acres. The township is signified by a central lake and park which stretches 3 kilometres across the precinct and acts as the central theme of it. The park itself entwined into the neighbourhood and offers a football field, basketball court, a 7 kilometre jogging track and walking track, green belts and parks.

Valencia is another exclusive gated residential enclave within Kota Kemuning. The development spans 280 acres of lush greenery, lakes and a 9-hole, residents-only golf course complete with a community club and village square.

According to Gamuda Land, for Kota Kemuning, their effort to enhance nature’s beauty is driven by their belief of creating eco-friendly environments where communities can learn to live with the delicate beauty of nature.

“This practice guides our team to be sensitive in thought and conscientious in action. We stand firm to the rule of enhancing the environment and this is a critical factor during the concept planning and design stages.” They added that a combination of creativity and eco-friendly engineering is applied to the challenges of preserving and retaining the existing terrain and its surroundings.

“Creative environmental architecture has designed generous landscaping, abundant parks, lakes and water features to provide green and natural living environments. Kota Kemuning is built with a signature nature feature and close to 45% of land is dedicated to green lungs, parks, lakes and open spaces.”

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Among the other large developers that have invested into Kota Kemuning include Tropicana Corporation Berhad and EcoWorld Development Group Berhad. Tropicana Urban Homes by Tropicana Corporation Berhad is a series of affordable condominium units that will be offered to middle income buyers and will be introduced within its Tropicana Aman township in Kota Kemuning. Tropicana Aman will be launching approximately 3,000 units with a Gross Development Value (GDP) of RM1.3 billion and with sizes ranging between 650 sq ft to 1,000 sq ft priced at RM300,000 and RM500,000.

Eco Sanctuary by EcoWorld is a gated and guarded eco-themed development offering residents a rejuvenating nature environment in a modern setting. Eco Sanctuary is a 308.7-acre leasehold project with a GDP of RM8 billion. It features seven precincts and a commercial hub offering residential and commercial properties including landed homes, mid to high-rise residences, shop offices, a strip mall and green spaces. There is also a clubhouse complete with modern architecture, swimming pool, timber deck and a glass-walled gym. The Grandezza, Eco Sanctuary’s main component, is a collection of luxury homes comprises of semi-detached homes, zero-lot bungalow, bungalows and super bungalows with built-up ranging from 2,903 sq ft to 6,075 sq ft. Each unit of homes in Eco Sanctuary features a modern tropical setting and comes with a deep cantilevered balcony and linear garden measuring 30 ft to 100 ft along the back of the homes.

The latest offering in Kota Kemuning is Gamuda Land’s own twentyfive.7, the latest integrated enclave within the township.

According to Ngan, “In 2017, we launched our new 257-acre mixed-development in Kota Kemuning called twentyfive.7 with a GDV of RM4.2 billion. With good accessibility and connectivity to different parts of KL, twentyfive.7 is an avant-garde designed lifestyle development with a vibrant Quayside where the community can come together and get to know each other. The name twentyfive.7 derived from the 257-acre where the development is sited. 257 is also a play on the phrase “24/7″ which implies 24 hours, 7 days a week but 257 include an extra hour portraying the vibrancy of the development, a destination that is energetic, robust and lively throughout the day and night —living beyond 24/7 figuratively speaking. This theme permeates throughout the master plan, landscaping, new-to-market multi-facade with practical layout home typologies down to the fine grain of tenant mix at the waterfront commercial space, which is envisioned as a gathering place for people of allwalks of life.”

He adds that, “we have since launched landed homes comprising superlink as well as semi-detached homes and The Amber Residence Serviced Apartment to good take-up. In the pipeline is Luxura, our second phase of landed residences at twentyfive.7. Built on 257 acres, Twentyfive7 offers high rise units, semi-detached and super link homes. The landed units have a built up between 2,120 sq ft and 3,667 sq ft with a price of RM1.02 million and above. Twentyfive.7 offers more than 100 F&B outlets, entertainment hubs and a quayside mall. Its green space is meticulously designed for outdoor leisure complete with playgounds and serene linear gardens that promote connectivity. The Quayside Mall’s key tenants include MBO cinema, Jaya Grocer, Watsons and Guardian pharmacy.

When asked if the appreciation of prices have increased healthily, Ngan says, “Yes, with town-making done right, we have seen healthy capital appreciation in Kota Kemuning over the years. Landed development in Kota Kemuning recorded 132% capital appreciation over 10 years while condominium recorded 237% over five years.” He also adds that the buyers in Kota Kemuning are mainly owner occupiers.

With Gamuda Land investing more projects in Kota Kemuning like twentyfive.7, which takes approximately 10 to 15 years to complete, Gamuda Land is continuing its legacy in the township. Ngan adds that Gamuda Land has created value for Kota Kemuning, not only in terms of capital appreciation but through the creation of community places, investment in township maintenance, landscaping as well as continuous enhancement of road, infrastructure and connectivity for the community of Kota Kemuning. “That is how we create sustainable value for our community to enhance their quality of life.”

With all these recent developments, Kota Kemuning has come a long way from its inception in 1995 and is expected to keep the township growing in the next ten to twenty years.