TAMAN Desa, off Jalan Klang Lama, is experiencing a mini property boom as developers zoom into this much-sought-after neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur.
The completion of the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) a few years ago has greatly eased the traffic flow at Jalan Klang Lama as motorists can bypass most parts of the widened Jalan Klang Lama.
The NPE links Bangsar and the KL-Seremban Highway to Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya and beyond.
Taman Desa residents can also access the KLIA-Putrajaya Highway via the Seremban Highway or at Kuchai Lama.
With the new highway linkages, residents of Taman Desa and its adjacent areas, including Seputeh and Taman Abadi, can gain access to any part of the Klang Valley and many amenities are now within their reach.
Over the past few years, several new developments have come up or are being launched in Taman Desa, an established neighbourhood that was developed by Faber Union about 30 years ago.
Faber Union started off with 110 semi-detached houses and 120 bungalow lots in 1976 at Taman Desa. It later built 578 units of two-storey terrace house in 1978.
It then went into building apartments such as the Faber Ria (402 units) in 1985, Faber Heights (370 units) in 1989, Faber Indah (130 units) in 1989, Danau Idaman (659 units) in 1996, Danau Impian (500 units), Danau Permai (512 units), Tiara Faber (320 units) in 2000, and Taratak Muhibbah (1,064 units) in 2000.
It also developed the Casa Desa condominium (410 units) and Danau Villa (64 units of three-storey semi-detached link home) in 2007.
Taman Desa started off as an upmarket housing area with semi-detached houses and bungalow lots many years ago. It has retained its middle-to-upper-class image, thanks to new developments that reflect this upmarket image.
One of the newcomers is the Papillon Desahill condominium by Zeus-TNB Properties Sdn Bhd, an affiliate of Peter's Holdings Sdn Bhd.
The 4.5-acre freehold project comprises 225 units with built-up areas from 1,312 to 2,039 sq ft and duplex units from 2,498 to 3,661 sq ft (from RM365 per sq ft). It is next to the Faber Heights condominium and very near Jalan Klang Lama.
Two other new projects are the Danau Villa three-storey semi-detached link homes, a joint venture between Faber Union and Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Desa Ria, a 104-unit freehold condo by the UOA Group. It boasts larger units of 2,200 sq ft and was launched in 2006. The units were priced around RM300 per sq ft when it was launched but they are now selling from RM385 to RM445 per sq ft.
Taman Desa's other housing schemes such as Seputeh and Taman Abadi are a mix of landed and high-rise apartments.
There are some 7,000 units of apartment and condominium in Taman Desa alone. These include completed projects like the OBD Garden (260 units), Desa Villa (340 units), Desa Murni (500 units), Bukit Desa (252 units), Desa Ria (104 units), Abadi Villa condo (330 units) and Abadi Indah apartments (754 units).
There are about 5,500 housing units in Taman Desa, Taman Bukit Desa, Taman Danau Desa, Taman Desa Utama, Seputeh and Taman Abadi, with about 30,000 people staying in Taman Desa.
Facilities in Taman Desa include the Desa Water Park, Taman Desa Medical Centre, wet market, office towers at Faber Towers, shops in the Taman desa and Danau Desa commercial centres, two secondary schools and a primary school. A new school is being built near Desa Ria.
Henry Butcher Marketing Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Tang Chee Meng said Taman Desa was a generally safe place to live as residents have their own security patrols. He said a number of tycoons also lived there.
“Taman Desa is one of those under-rated locations in the Klang Valley which is a very convenient place to stay.
“In the past, people were concerned about the notorious traffic congestion along Jalan Klang Lama, but today with the vast improvements in road infrastructure, Taman Desa, with its central and convenient location between KL and PJ, enjoys excellent connectivity and accessibility. It is a good place to call home,” he said.
Tang said Taman Desa had a good record of capital appreciation. He cited the case of a man who bought his first house, a double-storey terrace house, for only RM145,000 in 1989 and sold it in 1991 for RM181,000. Today it is worth RM560,000 toRM630,000. A similar house was priced at only RM70,000 to RM76,000 in 1978.
“The man bought his second house, a double-storey semi-detached house, in 1991 at RM265,000. Today, it is worth more than RM1mil.
“The house was going for only RM98,000 to RM113,000 in 1978 while the bungalows were going for RM140,000 to RM160,000. Today, the bungalows are worth RM1.8mil to RM2.5mil. Prices have never dropped,” he added.
