posted June 25, 2016 at 11:10 pm by
The Standard Business [ standard.com.ph
]
The former Mimosa Leisure Estate is
primed for a renaissance as Filinvest Land Inc. lays out its plans for a
dynamic, mixed-use development on the sprawling 201.64-hectare property.
As the winning bidder in the
privatization of the estate, Filinvest recently signed the lease agreement with
Clark Development Corp. to develop, manage and operate the estate for 50 years,
renewable for another 25 years.
“We are excited to implement our plans
for the Mimosa estate. We envision this to be an urban renewal—the rise of a
highly livable city that will offer countless opportunities for generations to
come,” says Josephine Gotianun-Yap, president of Filinvest Mimosa Inc., the new
company formed by the consortium of Filinvest Development Corp. and Filinvest
Land.
To bring its vision to life, Filinvest
has tapped the services of Broadway Malyan, an expert master-planner known for
its portfolio of world-class and fully-integrated cities across the globe.
“With its global perspective and extensive experience, we know that Broadway
Malyan is the right firm to entrust with our vision for the Mimosa project,”
says Gotianun-Yap.
The award-winning firm is behind
projects such as the Emprasa Startup Valley in India, dubbed the City of the
Future; and East Village in Calgary, which won the Canadian Architects/Town
Planning and Landscape Architecture Institutes’ joint award for Best Urban
Design Plan in 2012. Broadway Malyan also created the master plan for Erith
Park in London, which was recognized as London Regeneration Project of the Year
2016 by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Forward-looking master plan
For the Mimosa estate, Broadway Malyan
will apply its expertise in creating future-proofed, next-generation urban
areas. Integrating Quest Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn) and the existing 36-hole
golf course, the Mimosa project will be designed as a community-centric,
year-round destination with varied offerings for both day and night users and
visitors.
Current and future developments will be
harmonized utilizing a cohesive architectural theme with various elements and
spatial experiences that will increase the value of the development. The entire
project will be implemented in accord with Clark Economic Zone’s overall
objective of a green, smart and disaster-resilient development.
“We want the development to be leisurely
walkable so the master plan will pay close attention to the vehicular and
pedestrian circulation,” Gotianun-Yap says.
She says environmental impact will be
minimized through sustainability strategies such as preservation of the
existing ecosystem and respecting the natural topography of the land.
Balanced components
The Mimosa project centers on a balanced
mix of components including hotel and leisure offerings, offices, a retail and
commercial district, a residential section, as well as amenities and open
spaces that can attract a year-round market.
The initial program is to add at least
two more hotel locators, a retail area and numerous parks, bike paths and
outdoor amenity areas. “With these in place, we will be in the best position to
take advantage of the expected influx of guests with the rise in the meetings,
incentives, conferences and events
tourism market,” says Gotianun-Yap.
Planned mid-rise office buildings will
target multinational BPO companies while the retail and commercial district
will cater to hotel patrons, tourists, office workers, the surrounding local
communities and the transiting market.
To encourage people to stay longer, the
project will offer a good mix of residential offerings, rental units clustered
around the hotels and golf course to achieve a resort village atmosphere. These
will be complemented by public recreation facilities and open-space amenities that
can be experienced all year round.
“We are looking forward to carrying out
these plans to fruition,” says Gotianun-Yap. “We will draw on our expertise in
large-scale township development and our experience in the hospitality industry
to realize our vision for the Mimosa estate.”
Filinvest is the developer behind the
244-hectare Filinvest City in Alabang, the 677-hectare Timberland Heights and
300-hectare Havila in Rizal and the 350-hectare Ciudad de Calamba in Laguna.
It also signed a joint venture agreement
with tBases Conversion Development Authority for a 288-hectare, mixed-use
development in Clark Green City, Tarlac. The Filinvest Group, through Chroma
Hospitality, currently manages over 1,000 hotel rooms under the Crimson and
Quest hotel brands.
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