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Bukit Jalil is a prosperous suburb south of Kuala Lumpur. Apart from housing Malaysia’s premier sports hub, Bukit Jalil is now one of the fastest-growing property markets in the country after the Kuala Lumpur city centre. But prior to the early 1990s, it was merely a remote rural place with a large rubber plantation. In this article, we look at how Bukit Jalil rapidly evolved into one of the best places to purchase a property in Malaysia.


Meaning of Bukit Jalil & its Origin

In the Malaysian language (Bahasa Melayu), “Bukit” refers to a hill, while “Jalil” is an Arabic word that means majestic. True to its name, the place is known for its gently sloping hilly terrain that is striking to behold from afar, while the vantage point above offers breathtaking views over Kuala Lumpur.

Moreover, the area was formerly called Ladang Bukit Jalil, a 1,800-acre estate that contained a rubber plantation. However, it was acquired by the government for the construction of a world-class sports complex that can host the 1998 Commonwealth Games, a major sporting event similar to the Olympics that’s held every four years and participated by former colonies of the United Kingdom.

By January 1992, the authorities broke ground for the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex, which is locally called Majlis Sukan Negara and later rebranded into KL Sports City. Touted as a sports complex nestled within a park, it was the first integrated development of its kind when it was completed in January 1995 and officially inaugurated in July 1998 ahead of the 16th Commonwealth Games.

Built at a cost of slightly over RM2 billion, the National Sports Complex consists of the Axiata Arena (previously called Putra Indoor Stadium), National Squash Centre, National Aquatic Centre, National Hockey Stadium and the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Image source: rojakdaily.com

To complement the sports facilities, the government also set-up public transportation in the area in the form of the Bukit Jalil LRT station, which opened in July 1998. Besides the Vista Komanwel Shopping Centre, the authorities also built a village for the athletes called Vista Commonwealth Condominiums (Vista Komanwel A & B), which were later converted into residential properties.


Brief Lull Before Developers Sprang Into Action

After the successful Commonwealth Games ended, Bukit Jalil briefly turned into a deserted town. But shortly after that, real estate developers started purchasing large tracts of land for residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, quickly transforming the area into a flourishing and highly desirable place to live in.

According to experts, there were many reasons why Bukit Jalil piqued the interest of many property developers. First, the area houses the National Sports Complex, and is one of two international zones under the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020.

Second, Bukit Jalil is not only close to the heart of Kuala Lumpur, via the nearby SMART Tunnel, but is also surrounded by mature townships, like Putrajaya, Seri Kembangan, Puchong, Sungai Besi, Taman OUG, and Cheras.

It also has excellent connectivity via the Maju Expressway (MEX), New Pantai Expressway (NPE), Bukit Jalil Highway, Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway (KLS), Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), and Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), which has a direct exit in Bukit Jalil. In addition, there are five LRT stations close by, such as Bukit Jalil, Sri Petaling, Sungai Besi, Awan Besar and Muhibbah.

“(Bukit Jalil) has a fast-growing population and is well connected by a synergy of roads, highways and public transport. In addition to the Sri Petaling and Bukit Jalil LRT stations, the expansion of the Sri Petaling LRT line has added two new stops near Bukit Jalil — Awan Besar and Muhibbah LRT stations,” Sulaiman Saheh, Director of research and strategic planning at Rahim & Co, told The Edge in an August 2019 report.

Finally, the third catalyst is the rise of prestigious educational hubs and attractions in the vicinity. These include the Bukit Jalil Sports School, Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort, International Medical University (IMU), and Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU). The last two are situated in Technology Park Malaysia.

“Bukit Jalil has become a bustling township with various amenities. It is one of the townships in Greater KL that has excellent connectivity and is attracting many investors as well as homebuyers,” noted Amy Wong, Director of research and consultancy at Savills Malaysia.


Property Prices Skyrocket

Image source: unsplash.com

The aforementioned factors led to Bukit Jalil experiencing a population boom and many people now want to live there, resulting in robust demand for residential properties in Sri Petaling.

According to Reapfield Properties’ Senior Negotiator Prabu Jai Balan, 2.5-storey terraced homes in Jalil Sutera were launched in 2009 at RM500,000 (RM200 psf). But by 2019, these properties were being resold for RM1.8 million.

In 2010, a condominium unit in Vista Komanwel fetched a resale price of about RM220,000 to RM250,000. But currently, units there are being transacted for between RM400,000 and RM580,000. Prabu noted that rents at Vista Komanwel can go as high as RM3,000 despite being one of Bukit Jalil’s oldest projects as rental demand remains strong. Rental prospects have been improved by the presence of the said educational institution added CBRE|WTW Managing Director Foo Gee Jen.

Moreover, Wong revealed that unit prices at two projects in Bukit Jalil have appreciated. That in Berjaya Land’s KM1 rose from RM590 psf in 2014 to RM747 psf in 2018, while that of The Treez by Exsim Group have increased from RM687 psf in 2014 to RM735 psf in 2018.


Second Wave of Developments

In 2015, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) won a RM1.6 billion contract to refurbish the National Sports Complex in two phases. The RM499.21 million first phase was completed just in time for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. It involved renovating and upgrading the National Stadium, Axiata Arena, the National Aquatic Centre and the National Hockey Stadium.

MRCB also installed a silver vertical structure and a new facade for the national stadium. Thanks to the additions designed by global architecture firm Populous, the stadium was shortlisted for an award at the World Architecture Festival 2017 held in Berlin, Germany.

The RM1.1 billion second phase commenced in 2018, with completion scheduled within three years from the start of building works. The aim of this phase is to transform the complex into the new KL Sports City, a fully-integrated sports hub equipped with top infrastructures rivalling the world-class sports and entertainment facilities of developed countries. Upgrades and additions include a youth park, sports museum, youth hostel, a convention centre, public sports facilities, sports rehabilitation science centre, high-performance training facilities, and a sports-focused retail mall.

Meanwhile, Malton and the Pavilion Group launched the first phase of the 50-acre Bukit Jalil City project in 2015. To be constructed in three phases, the project has a gross development value (GDV) of RM4 billion. Phase I consisting of 112 signature shop offices have all been snapped up, likewise for the second phase comprising 44 retail shops and 1,098 units of upscale serviced apartments. The third phase comprises The Park 2, two towers containing a total of 324 serviced residences expected to be completed in 2021.

The mixed-use project also includes the highly-anticipated RM1.1 billion Pavilion Bukit Jalil mall, which is expected to be the biggest shopping centre within a 10km radius. With 1.8 million sf of retail space, the mall is scheduled to begin operating by Q3 2020.

Property experts said KL Sports City and the Bukit Jalil City project has triggered a second wave of developments in the vicinity, with developers vying for the remaining pieces of land in the area. New projects include Malton's 1,098-unit The Park Sky Residence and Ho Hup’s 900-units Aurora Suites, both of which were completed in 2019. Berjaya Land also launched in Q3 2019 Block B of The Tropika, an 868-unit development in Bukit Jalil.

The second wave of property developments in Bukit Jalil is expected to be sustained by the RM21 billion Bukit Jalil Sentral project, which is jointly being carried out by MRCB and EPF. To be constructed in over two decades, the massive development will feature hotels, retail malls, office towers, shop-offices and serviced apartments, further boosting the area’s appeal and further elevating Bukit Jalil’s property market.

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(30 April 2020)

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Certainly a new growth area that is booming with increased population and new developments. However, the roads and infrastructrure needs to be well planned by the authorities due to the sporadic developments by various developers instead of a better planned township development.   

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Strategic location with accessible public transportation. 

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Bukit JALIL Is indeed very strategically located, sitting close to the KL/Selangor border where it becomes another choice location for property hunters. Pavilion 2 @ Bkt Jalil was indeed set to be the catalyst for future business development in the area . With the pandemic looming around , how fast the business community can pick up is left to be seen ..hopefully all is well...after the recovery period. 




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Seriously At first bukit jalil is not as matured as now, full of trees, and now it's very potential and more developer coming in. As this is the location where in between KL and selangor, convenient to travel via LRT, Major road like OKR, Highway like KESAS to link to cheras or Subang , Klang area.

Pavillion 2 and Paradigm 2 also a plus point to bukit jalil as it is in between this two mega project. Golf course and greenery would increase the population of foreign expats and these malls and office tower would increase the moving population from other places.Not to mentioned, there is APU, Tzu Chi International school and also Kingsgate International school would attract more family and students here too.  

Good news for investor since a good location must included high origin and moving population to grow. 

I would say it is a bright potential for this place.Can't wait for More upcoming project along LRT line in this area by Prasarana and IOI, berjaya and WCT.