REAL-ESTATE developers employ a unique strategy in bringing a community together by offering a variety of experiences sans the hassle of congested roads and lack of parking spaces, for example. How do they do this? Simple: by bringing the kind of leisure lifestyle they intend to nurture right into their doorsteps, sort of, by introducing community malls and boutique lifestyle centers.
However, these establishments are not high-density and have a lot less retailers per hectare of land compared to the conventional shopping malls that have become a focal point of most urban Filipinos’ leisure life.
This being the case, can developers claim that community malls and lifestyle centers are, indeed, good use of the land? Are community malls and lifestyle centers gradually emerging as the more convenient, more viable alternative for developers instead of public parks?
“Community malls are more attractive [to urban Filipinos] nowadays because it is located within a short distance from their residences,” said Leonick Chua, vice president of GFL Metro Communities Inc., the developer behind Forum South Global in Bonifacio Global City (BGC). “This makes trips to purchase daily necessities easy and convenient.
Trips to traditional malls take too much time and effort with congestion and parking as a No. 1 problem.” As one of the company’s recently completed projects, Forum South Global attests to the GFL Metro Communities’ vision of quality projects, hosting and showcasing trendy leisure shops and restaurants that provide unique gastronomic experience and cater to urban Filipinos’ everyday needs.“Community malls that offer daily conveniences, like barber shops, beauty salons, restaurants and grocery stores, are the best combination that helps build a sense of a thriving community in one particular area,” Chua shared, “Going further would be other types of tenants, like specialty shops and specialty services for their community.”
Among the tenants that BGC goers can find at Forum South Global at present are Sarsa Kitchen + Bar, Yoree Korean Barbeque Dining, Tipple & Slaw sandwich & bar, Marmalade Kitchen, Skippy’s Bar & Grill, Koko Buri House of sizzling chicken, O’rice and Pablo’s Pub and Restaurant.
But how exactly do developers design these kinds of developments to promote a certain vibe and associate the kind of lifestyle they intend to promote in one area?
“If you’re building these types of developments, remember that it has to be a convenient one-stop area where all basic necessities are addressed.
Parking, protection from elements has to be ample for the customers,” Chua noted. Then, there’s also the tricky part of pairing the type of existing community in the area alongside the type of offerings you can host to respond to their needs. “The location of the community centers is also key.
What are the demographics of the surrounding community? Would it be able to sustain the tenants of the center? Are the facilities matching with the crowd and demographics of the community?” he added. However, one aspect that always pops up in the course of conceptualizing these types of developments is the element of practicality.
“It is easy to conceptualize a top-grade community center, but sometimes this is not needed in a community. As a developer, we have to balance the cost of the project and the amount and time for the return of investment [ROI],” Chua explained.
“We may build a world-class premium lifestyle center, but will the people be able to appreciate and buy from the stores in that type of establishment?”
The key to addressing this challenge, the GFL Communities exec said, lies on the extent of a developer’s openness to collaborate and exchange ideas and insights with other relevant stakeholders. “The key is to talk to clients and ask them about their preferences, their needs and wants, what they can afford within the community,” he said.
“During conceptualization, we tend to over-design developments as the creativity and ideas basically have no limits during this phase. It is only when we start computing for the ROI of the project, where we will be awakened by the reality of bringing a dream concept to a practical design.”