This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 10, 2018 - September 16, 2018
The four towers of serviced apartments in Youth City in Nilai Town Centre, Negeri Sembilan, were launched separately — Towers A and B in July last year, followed by Tower C in February and Tower D in June. To date, 1,293 of the 3,213 units have been sold. Minister of Housing and Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin officiated the launch of Tower D.
Apart from serviced apartments, the RM1.3 billion development will feature a retail component and a clubhouse on a 7.88-acre tract. Youth City is the first phase of the 50-acre, RM10 billion freehold mixed-use Vision City, which is being jointly developed by GD Development Sdn Bhd and Foshan Jin Ying Real Estate Co Ltd of China.
“The response has been quite good. The demand is quite high. This is what the public is looking for as the price is considered affordable. When we first launched Youth City, we received more than 2,000 bookings. However, due to many loan rejections, we only managed to sell 1,293 units,” says GD Development managing director Huan Woon Han.
The project got its name because it is aimed at keeping young people in Nilai and making the area more vibrant. In keeping with this objective, the developer will keep prices affordable — the prices of the units start at RM230,000 — and provide facilities to suit the lifestyle of the younger generation.
Buyers have three layouts to choose from — studio, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom — with built-ups of 460, 735 and 1,008 sq ft respectively.
The facilities include a 150,000 sq ft clubhouse and themed rooftops — Terra Green, Terra Shore, Terra Farm and Terra Chill — to cater for different groups of people. Terra Green will feature a swimming pool with greenery surrounding the area while Terra Shore will incorporate a beach. Terra Farm is for gardening enthusiasts while Terra Chill will be a place to relax and have a drink. The maintenance fee is 25 sens psf.
Like Publika in Mont’Kiara, the retail component will be open to the public but security will not be compromised as entry to the residential area will require access cards. Security guards will be stationed at the lift lobby to the serviced apartments.
Forty-eight retail units are set to be launched in the fourth quarter, with built-ups ranging from 1,829 to 8,523 sq ft, and selling prices of RM2.1 million to RM9.8 million.
A common problem of high-rise buildings is water leakage, especially in the bathrooms, according to Huan. To solve this problem, the developer will be bringing in a Japanese technology known as the Syswo Modular Bathroom System.
Each modular toilet set includes bathroom walls, roof, floor, all internal fittings and external water and electricity circuits. The floor, wall panels and ceiling are made from a flexible and firm material known as sheet moulding compound that is commonly used in aircraft cabins. The material does not retain moisture, ensuring the bathroom surface and flooring remain dry. One modular toilet set will be provided for the studio units while the other layouts will come with at least two sets.
Incubation centres and CO3 offices were initially planned as part of the mall — the second phase of Vision City — next to Youth City. But these facilities may be first set up in the clubhouse instead of waiting for the mall to be completed.
Vision City will comprise four phases to be developed over 8 to 10 years, and will include malls, a theme park, hotels, a global and trading exhibition centre, international schools and colleges.
GD Development is part of the diversified GD Holdings Group of Companies, which was founded by Datuk Seri Yeat Sew Chuong in 2009. GD Holdings supplies organic food and medical herbs, provides security services and armed guards as well as imports and distributes fertilisers, among others.
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