BY MAK KUM SHI
makks@thestar.com.my
An aerial view of PJ Midtown fronting Jalan Kemajuan.
The evolution of Petaling Jaya from a township to a leading city over a period of half a century has been impressive. The city is now undergoing a rejuvenation that will bring its development to the next level.
IJM Corp Bhd CEO and managing director Datuk Soam Heng Choon shared that Petaling Jaya had originally started off in the 1950s as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur, as the capital city was getting overpopulated.
As the congestion in Kuala Lumpur became more critical, Petaling Jaya naturally benefited with businesses starting to set up offices and factories outside of Kuala Lumpur.
With the population growing and businesses expanding happening robustly, infrastructure developments and amenities soon followed with highways, rail transit systems, buses, schools, colleges, universities, shopping malls, hotels and entertainment centres being built rapidly during the same period.
Thriven Global Bhd group managing director Ghazie Yeoh Abdullah stated that the main attraction of Petaling Jaya is it has everything required to be an attractive place to live, work, study and play.
In addition, it provides the freedom of space, lush greenery and ease of mobility. Lots of major companies are moving their operations from Kuala Lumpur City Centre to the suburbs of Petaling Jaya.
This has led to various areas of Petaling Jaya being thriving centres and yet decentralised from one another. This allows for free movement, which at the end, spurs economic movements.
Every different area allows for different economic activities, such as trading, food and beverage, services, operations and logistics.
Next phase of growth
The very first townships in Petaling Jaya, towards Petaling Jaya South (also known as PJS), from Section 8 to PJ Old Town, had the first settlements. As development progressed, PJ North, on the other side of the Federal Highway, was developed.
Soam commented that inward migration for people seeking employment opportunities, especially those from other states in Malaysia, started the population boom in Petaling Jaya, due to its proximity to the capital.
It was a more economical alternative than staying in the capital, as well as a more conducive environment for younger couples to bring up families.
With the growth in population, businesses and industries also started to thrive and prosper. Some of the industrial areas are now located on prime real estate. Regeneration is in the midst of taking shape.
A SCland spokesperson said that Petaling Jaya enjoys the success of building multi-racial communities that drive its population growth. It is common to find many multi-generation families with family members who live near to each other.
Petaling Jaya's address is perceived to carry some premium in social status, due to it being home to many high and high-middle income communities.
The purchasing power of its large middle and above-average income populace provides resilience to the local economy and fuels economic growth.
It has fashioned itself as a melting pot for studying youths, working adults and also retirees, offering facilities and conveniences to all demographics.
It also sees a constant increase in immigrant numbers, typically comprising young adults who move into the Klang Valley to pursue their studies or careers and elect the township as their base.
A large number of Kuala Lumpur’s workforce reside and commute from Petaling Jaya. Growth in business and job opportunities in Kuala Lumpur attract large numbers of those emigrating from other parts of the country each year. This contributes to the population growth in Petaling Jaya.
These drivers of population growth further propel economic growth, providing a strong market and demand for new property development zones in Petaling Jaya.
Premier city of the Klang Valley
For a city to thrive, it has to be accessible, convenient and equipped with the necessary facilities for its residents.
SCland shared that the convergence of major highways in Petaling Jaya underscores its status as the premier city in the Klang Valley, outside of Kuala Lumpur.
Such highways open up new areas for development and bring in both permanent and transcient population.
These investments are necessary in order to alleviate traffic congestion and provide a solution to Petaling Jaya’s high rates of increase in population and traffic volume.
In addition, these new transport options will equip Petaling Jaya’s labour force with greater geographical mobility, allowing workers to seek job opportunities over a larger area.
A more significant pool of human resource also promotes efficiency and competition, which in turn translates into big improvements for businesses and companies situated within that reach.
A well-planned network of highways sets the foundation for efficient logistics that is critical for manufacturing activities and delivery of services, in moving either goods or human capital.
Hence, improving transportation infrastructure has a direct correlation to increased economic activities.
Consequently, the sum of these factors will result in greater demand for Petaling Jaya properties for residential, commercial or industrial use.
Property prices will no doubt continue to appreciate and as land becomes increasingly scarce, development of neighbouring districts and zones will accelerate.
A beneficiary of massive infrastructure development initiatives taken by Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) is SCland’s Emporis development, which is located at the heart of Kota Damansara and has a gross development value of RM1bil.
It fronts Persiaran Surian, where there are three MRT stations in advanced stages of construction. It also has direct access to the NKVE through the Kota Damansara interchange.
Widening works are being carried out on Persiaran Surian. A new underpass is being constructed along Sunway Damansara.
Emporis will also be easily accessible through the proposed elevated Damansara – Shah Alam (Dash) highway, which brings about would connect Shah Alam with the west side of Petaling Jaya.
“We are fortunate for all these factors provide big advantages to our buyers and great potential for value appreciation,” SCland said.
A Gamuda spokesperson shared that its Highpark suite would have the added advantage of having higher chances for sale in the secondary market because of the mixed market in Petaling Jaya.
Due to land scarcity, new developments would be mostly high-rise types.
Mah Sing Group Berhad group managing director Tan Sri Datuk Seri Leong Hoy Kum commented that the numerous improvements being made to the public transport infrastructure in Petaling Jaya, including the planned Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines, will boost accessibility within the area.
The public traffic infrastructure in Petaling Jaya was developed to cater to the ever-increasing population.
The Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit line has five stations within Petaling Jaya. Other forms of public transportation include the Rapid KL buses.
The highways that are within close proximity to Petaling Jaya, such as the Federal Highway, Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (Duke), Shah Alam Expressway
(Kesas) and North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), allow those living outside Petaling Jaya to enter and exit the city.
This provides the option for people to work or set up businesses within Petaling Jaya but can still live outside the city.
The issue with having so many outlets for transport is the traffic congestion it will cause but there are already steps being undertaken to manage it.
“Icon City is strategically located at the crossroads of LDP and Federal Highway. It also provides easy access to other major highway networks such as NKVE, Elite, NPE and Kesas,” said Leong.
“For Mah Sing, we have taken the initiative with Icon City’s traffic dispersal system. The first vehicular ramp of this system was completed in early this year. It will help ease the traffic flow within the area,” he added.
Upon completion of the overall traffic dispersal system with multiple interchanges, it is set to benefit 700,000 people in the surrounding area.
Menara Star 2, which is owned by Star Media Group Berhad, is also a beneficiary of the transformation that is taking place in Petaling Jaya.
Located at Section 13, it will be at the heart of the neighbourhood that is evolving from a light industrial area to a major business district with a wide range of mixed developments.
The diversity of developments in the area promises to transform the neighbourhood into a centre for services, commerce, retail, arts, entertainment, dining and residences.
Major developments in this up-and-coming district include IOI Properties and Sime Darby Brunsfield’s PJ Midtown, Tetap Tiara’s Jaya One, Inspiration Group’s Centrestage, Island Circle’s Pacific Star and Fraser Group’s Trilight Residences.
A 14-storey Grade A office tower with four basement levels, Menara Star 2 is a major component of the Pacific Star development and is designed to comply with MSC status and Green Building Index (GBI) certification requirements.
Its features include 100% back-up power supply, fibre-optic backbone infrastructure, an impressive double volume grand lobby and secure turnstile system with key card access to designated floors.
It has 6+1 high-speed lifts with intelligent lift control system, designated levels with raised access flooring, state-of-the-art auditorium and 900 dedicated parking bays.
Corporate floor plates range from 8,600 sq ft to 40,350 sq ft. Jones Lang Wootton (JLW) is the marketing agent and building manager for the development, which is expected to be completed by end-Q3 2016.
With these developments taking place in Petaling Jaya, it is clear that the city, its economy and populace will thrive in years to come.
