New quit rent rates on Jan 1, 2014

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is in the midst of reviewing the quit rent rates for properties in the city and the new rates are expected to take effect on Jan 1, 2014.

Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib said DBKL had received the mandate from Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to re-evaluate the rates.

He said the property value was going up and it was up to DBKL to decide on the rates, which would be dependent on the outcome of the review conducted by DBKL and the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) under the Finance Ministry.

“The rates have remained the same since 1992.

“However, this does not mean we will increase the rates. I urge everyone to just wait for the outcome of the review,” he added.

Although evasive on the subject, the mayor said that if the actual property value was very high as compared to the present rates, it would not mean the tax would be in tandem with the increase but more likely only a slight jump.

“Whatever rates we will eventually adopt must be appropriate so that it does not burden the public, but the new rates must also be fair to DBKL because of the demands on us to spend on various projects and programmes,” he said, giving assurance that the new rates would be practical and realistic.

It is estimated that the outcome of the rates review will affect over 500,000 property owners in the city. Quit rent is the highest income contributor to DBKL.

However, as the local government is striving to put Kuala Lumpur among the top 20 most-developed city in the world by 2020, DBKL has been investing and spending an ever-increasing amount of money annually to achieve that target.

DBKL is hoping an increase in quit rent will provide the extra revenue to pump into more projects to enhance services and infrastructure for the benefit of Kuala Lumpur folk.

Ahmad Phesal was speaking at the 2014 DBKL Budget dialogue attended by more than 600 people from various NGOs, associations, agencies and residents association.

After chairing the five-hour dialogue session held at DBKL’s Training Institute in Bandar Tun Razak yesterday, he said the dialogue was very productive and DBKL would look into every input, remark and criticism to further improve its services.

“Most of the complaints seemed to be geared towards improving the living conditions in the city.

“We hope to allocate more funds in the 2014 DBKL budget for social programmes,” he added

(The star Oct 2, 2013)

Pandan Lake Club redevelopment scales down from 51 storeys to 45 storeys

KUALA LUMPUR: Best Boulevard Sdn Bhd, which has been facing objections from residents for the redevelopment of the Pandan Lake Club in Pandan Perdana, has decided to scale down its high-rise property development.

Best Boulevard project director Lee Yeow Hian said the company, which is a subsidiary of Beverly Group Sdn Bhd, had taken into account the residents’ concerns after a public hearing on Aug 24.

“The initial plan was to have 51 storeys but we have decided to scale it down to 45 storeys after the public hearing.

The gross development value (GDV) of the new plan is RM600mil to RM700mil,” he said at a meeting yesterday.

Also present at the meeting were Pandan Perdana Residents Association chairman Lim Ah Chai and fellow residents.

Lee said the company was ready to let go about RM120mil in terms of GDV for the 210,000 sq ft of gross floor area due to the scaledown.

Nevertheless, he said the group would submit its plan this week to the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) for approval.

The project will be undertaken on 4.48ha involving the construction of a 39-storey block of serviced apartments with 744 units and two small office-home office (SoHo) blocks of 35 and 36 storeys each with a total of 1,270 units.

“Work would start only after obtaining the approval from MPAJ. The target launch date is sometime around Chinese New Year 2014,” Lee said.

In addition, Best Boulevard has proposed to MPAJ to hand over its sales gallery for the development to the latter so that it can be turned into a community hall or other facilities for the community in Pandan Perdana.

Lee likened the suburb to a “sleeping beauty”, given the presence of the lake.

“There are not many developments that can incorporate nature such as a lake.

“We have the concept. We are confident,” he said when asked why the developer had opted for such a massive development in a suburb.

During the meeting, Lee also explained public concerns such as construction vehicle access, foundation works without hydraulic or diesel hammers being used as well as other issues to the resident representatives.

(The star Oct 2, 2013)

Density of Pandan Lake Club project markedly reduced

THE plot ratio and the number of home office and apartment units have been markedly reduced in the amended plans for the redevelopment of Pandan Lake Club in Pandan Perdana, Ampang.

Developer Beverly Group Sdn Bhd said the new plan incorporated requests of residents living near the 4.48ha land. The feedback was gathered during a public hearing at the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) recently.

Among the major changes are reduced plot ratio from 3.99 to 3.48, SoHo units cut down from 1,390 to 1,284, apartment storeys reduced from 39 to 34 floors, and the removal of two proposed basement carpark floors.

Project manager Lee Yeow Hian said the scaled-down plot ratio would help reduce traffic impact by 21% in the congested Pandan Perdana area.

“We have also decided against the food and beverage pavilion on the lake, following protests,” he said during a media briefing at the Pandan Perdana Residents Association office yesterday.

The pavilion was designed as a platform on stilts over the lake for a restaurant and cafe.

Residents said they feared the lake would be filled up to make way for the development.

Besides the club, other developments included serviced apartments, SoHo units and commercial lots.

Members of the Pandan Lake Club, meanwhile, voiced out fears that the clubhouse would be demolished.

They claimed that they had been promised a recreational club as part of their sale and purchase agreement when they bought the properties there 20 years ago.

“We will preserve the lake, clean it up and upgrade the facilities around it, including the carpark and the playground,” assured Lee.

He said an independent traffic consultant was also brought in to assess the traffic impact in the area.

He added that with the recent changes, Beverly Group had decided to widen three roads and seven junctions for smoother traffic flow.

During the construction period, the main entrance routes will be blocked off, and a back route from Jalan Perdana 3/10 and Jalan Perdana 3/8 will be used.

Lee said that a resident had also voiced out concerns over the lack of a community hall in the area.

He said the temporary show gallery to be built for the project could be converted into a hall after the development was completed.

“It will be built on a plot of land identified by MPAJ and can be handed over to them to be converted into a hall, with toilet facilities for park users,” he said.

He said they had taken additional measures to reduce any inconvenience that might arise due to the development.

The amended proposal will be submitted to MPAJ soon for approval.

The briefing was also attended by Pandan Perdana Residents Association chairman Lim Ah Chai, Pandan Lake Club members pro-tem committee chairman Dr Thankan DeSilva, and another resident Lim Koo.

Dr DeSilva asked that club members’ appeal for compensation and access to the facilities in the apartment be considered.

He said club membership was RM4,200 and limited to 4,200 members.

He said most of the club members had accepted the compensation offer of between RM4,000 and RM7,000, while another 100 were fighting to save the club.

“We hope the 100 members’ views will be considered by MPAJ when making a decision,” Dr DeSilva added.

Lee said they would look into the additional requests as the clubhouse had a separate owner, adding that members should take up the matter with the owner.

On whether other residents would be briefed about the amendments, Lim said they could contact him or meet him at his office.

“We organised this media briefing to correct the misinformation that has been spread,” Lim said, adding that flyers would be sent out to keep residents informed about changes.

Teratai assemblymen Tiew Way Keng, said she was unaware of the changes and hoped the developer would conduct briefings for residents before work on the project began.

Pandan Glades Rukun Tetangga chairman Harichan Paul said many residents were still left in the dark about the project.

(The star Oct 2, 2013)