This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 11, 2020 - May 17, 2020

The first commercial units of Ava Town Suites at Nido Gardens — a freehold, mixed-use development in Rawang, Selangor — have seen a take-up rate of 80%. Launched last November, Nido Gardens is being developed by PPC Chye Hin, a joint venture between Pembinaan Punca Cergas Sdn Bhd (PPC) and Chye Hin Development Sdn Bhd.

“We have launched 26 units under our first phase, Ava Town Suites, and received encouraging response,” says PPC Chye Hin executive director Choong Wei Min.

“We are planning to unveil more units at Nido Gardens in 2H2020, depending on the market sentiment. The project is targeted at owner-occupiers such as young couples, upgraders and middle-to-upper-income earners,” he reveals.

The general earthworks for Ava Town Suites, comprising 108 units of 1½-storey commercial town suites, have begun, says Choong. Each unit will have a sizeable built-up of 1,020 sq ft (22ft by 70ft) — with three rooms, three bathrooms, a pantry and a hall — and be priced from RM388,000. Select units will have balconies. “Ava Town Suites will be similar to small offices/versatile offices, or SoVos, but landed instead of high-rise,” he adds.

“In this current market, we believe it is important that the government reviews and revises existing lending guidelines to help Malaysians purchase homes, even in the lower-range categories of below RM500,000,” he continues.

The units at Ava Town Suites will be simple, stylish and functional, and tailored to suit the residents’ lifestyle. “We aim for the layout to require little to no renovation, yet be customisable to suit their needs,” Choong explains.

Meanwhile, Nido Gardens has a gross development value of RM290 million and occupies 39 acres in Jalan Panggong. The word “nido” means “nest” in Spanish, with the concept of the development revolving around returning home to the nest. The project comprises 376 two and three-storey terraced houses, townhouses, town suites and shopoffices, as well as 214 units under the state housing scheme, Rumah Selangorku (Type B).

Set to be completed in six years, Nido Gardens is the developer’s first project in Rawang.

Commenting on the Covid-19 outbreak and future outlook, Choong says, “A high household debt-to-GDP ratio may be a concern in the future but in the current situation, it would be more important to ensure that there is no huge backward slide of the current GDP per capita numbers.”

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