Ayala Land is back in Laguna developing a brand-new estate. Not that it ever left the province where it built its first sustainable city Nuvali 10 years ago — but what a difference a decade makes!
For Alveo Land chief operating officer Rufino “Gutz” Gutierrez, who was part of the team that launched Nuvali’s Alveo districts, being back here brings all sorts of nostalgia and challenges.
For one, Sta. Rosa would be unrecognizable if you were living under a rock for the past 10 to 15 years. Where there was nothing but industrial and manufacturing plants and farmlands before, Sta. Rosa today is a thriving city with commercial, residential and leisure districts developed by the biggest companies in real estate.
So after 10 years, why did Alveo COO Gutz Gutierrez cross the road? (In this case, the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road.) To shepherd another estate, of course.
A subsidiary of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), Alveo with its “sharper foresight” is leading the development of Broadfield, a 120-hectare mixed-use development about an hour or an hour and a half’s drive from Makati and BGC, 45 minutes from Parañaque and Alabang, and just 10 minutes from Nuvali, which is four kilometers away.
Alveo being the lead developer among the ALI brands (it’s not always the case, Gutz clarifies), it recently launched the commercial district located on the northwestern portion of the estate and closest to the main road.
The initial offering is 36.6 hectares composed of 35 commercial lots ranging in size from 1,324 sqm. to 2,915 sqm. On their first day alone, they had an estimated total sales value of P2.8 billion — with an average price of P105,000 per sqm. and an average size of 1,782 sqm.
This offering follows two previously launched Alveo residential subdivisions in Broadfield, namely Venido, a 22-hectare residential community currently being constructed on the northwestern portion, and the 19-hectare Aveia just across it, whose initial phases started turnover this year. Phase 1 of Broadfield will be completed in 2023.
“Broadfield is envisioned as a modern and progressive 80-hectare commercial and mixed-use district, complemented by 40 hectares of residential subdivisions,” Gutz says, and adds that what makes it attractive is that it will have more access points in the future with the upcoming Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and the planned Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway.
“Broadfield’s location sets it at the heart of South Luzon’s thriving residential, leisure, industrial and manufacturing center. We have a well-designed master plan that applies the best practices of Ayala Land in property development. This district will be innovative, sustainable and progressive. Broadfield will also have basic intelligent city features such as fiber-to-home system, traffic light controls, CCTV security and transport systems.”
Inside, Broadfield will have wide roads and pedestrian walkways. “Ten percent of the total land area or eight hectares is dedicated to parks and open spaces. Dedicated bike lanes and bike-rack facilities will also be set up across the development, and people will be able to traverse through an interconnected park system. Broadfield will have its own storm water management system and detention ponds for rainwater collection, solar and alternative energy sources for lighting, efficient waste reduction systems, and energy and water-efficient fixtures will be the norm.”
With Nuvali’s far-reaching influences on how to develop a sustainable estate (and being so close to it), Alveo requires Broadfield’s commercial locators to comply with the Philippine Green Building Code.
Behind Broadfield’s commercial district will be the 50-hectare Laguna campus of De La Salle University, which expects completion next year. This will also be the site of the Shrine of St. John Baptist de la Salle, patron saint of teachers, which is expected to be “a pilgrimage site for educators.”
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Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.