This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 22, 2020 - June 28, 2020

The usual?” asks Penny, a hairdresser at Hairworks in Taipan Business Centre (USJ 10), with a warm smile. I have frequented this salon for more than 15 years, having grown up in Subang Jaya. There are other familiar vendors in Taipan as well.

Just a few shops down the road, the tasty aroma of freshly baked pastries fill the air at Berry’s Cake House, which has been in operation for 25 years. Despite the steady yields in the property market over the years, its pastries are still affordable, as are most of the goods and services offered in Taipan.

Another established restaurant is Victoria Station, a steakhouse that has been in operation for over two decades. Taipan is also known for home-grown restaurants such as Logenhaus Roast & Grill, The Carpenter’s Daughter, Las Carretas and Strawberry Fields Café.

The convenience stores and clinics are busy as always and the roads are congested with traffic and double-parked cars, which Taipan is notorious for.

Built in the 1990s by Sime UEP Properties Bhd, Taipan remains one of the busiest commercial centres in Subang Jaya. It caters for Subangites, particularly those who live in USJ 1, USJ 3A to USJ 3D and USJ Heights.

Comprising mostly 3-storey shopoffices and stretching from Jalan USJ 10/1, USJ 10/1C, USJ 10/1D to USJ 10/1G, Taipan offers plenty of popular eateries. Notable ones include Starbucks,

McDonalds, KFC, A&W, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Secret Recipe USJ, Papparich, Inside Scoop, Nando’s (USJ), Station One, The Brewhouse and Uncle Don’s.

Taipan also has pharmacies and convenience stores such as Watsons, Guardian and Family Mart, and banks such as

Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, OCBC and UOB. There is also a medical centre, QHC Medical Centre, and several children’s enrichment centres.

The commercial centre is adjacent to Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) and Subang Business Centre in USJ 9.

Public transport is available via the nearby The Taipan light rail transit station, which is part of the extension from the Kelana Jaya LRT depot and opened in 2016.

Metro REC Sdn Bhd managing director Ng Weng Yew highlights a new addition in Taipan. “There is the recently completed Wisma Conlay developed by Conlay Group. It is a strata-titled, 10-storey commercial development comprising shopoffices (ground and first floors) as well as office suites from the seventh floor onwards,” says Ng.

Wisma Conlay has a gross development value (GDV) of RM60 million and was completed last year.

“This is the only high-rise, purpose-built office [building] with units for sale [in Taipan] besides the multi-storey Wisma TNB Subang Jaya, which was formerly the office of Sime UEP Properties.

“The occupancy rate of the shopoffices in Taipan is almost always high,” he adds.

“Within the Subang Business Centre are two rows of strata-titled, 7-storey shopoffices privately developed by Baktihan Sdn Bhd. They face Persiaran Kewajipan,” says Ng.

He acknowledges that there are some challenges in Taipan. “Persiaran Kewajipan, which is the main thoroughfare linking Taipan to Kesas (Shah Alam Expressway) and Elite Highway (North-South Expressway Central Link) is notorious for its congestion, especially during peak hours on weekdays. However, it has now improved with the closure of certain lanes at the Kewajipan/Kesas junction.”

During busy periods, parking spaces in Taipan are in short supply. “There is a multilevel car park operated by MPSJ to ease the parking problem,” says Ng.

Property transactions in Taipan have been active over the past three years, he notes. “In terms of average price, those for 3-storey shopoffices with an average built-up of 1,760 sq ft range between RM3.75 million and RM4.1 million (RM700 to RM760 psf). In comparison, strata units at Subang Business Centre are priced at about RM450 psf.

“Rental rates in Taipan range from RM5.50 to RM6.50 psf for ground-floor shops and RM1.40 to RM1.80 psf for upper-floor shops. Gross yields are between 4% and 4.5%,” reveals Ng.

“Given its prominence as the main business centre in the USJ area for more than 20 years, Taipan should continue to be well patronised and the property values should hold for the medium term.”

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