The Edge - The Evolution of PJ's Tropicana
Take a drive along Persiaran Tropicana on a normal day and you will probably be caught in traffic along the meandering stretch. Apart from those living in the area, many commuters also use the road to get to neighbouring areas such as Ara Damansara, Kota Damansara, and Bandar Utama.
That was not always the case. Koh, a long-time resident in the area, recalls Tropicana as being a lot less busy in its early days in the 1990s. “Just like any new developing area, retail and eating options were pretty limited back then. If not at the clubhouse within the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort development, we would take a short drive to neighbouring suburbs’ commercial areas and malls,such as 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Bandar Utama and, subsequently, The Curve in Mutiara Damansara when it opened, or even Sungai Buloh.”
Today, apart from Casa Tropicana, Persiaran Tropicana is lined with new high-rise developments such as Lumi Tropicana and Tropicana Grande, office towers Persoft Tower, Menara Lien Hoe and Bangunan 3M,and modern retail offerings at Tropicana Avenue.
Anchored by the 625-acre Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, the Tropicana locality is an affluent leasehold neighbourhood adjacent to other established suburbs, namely Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara, Ara Damansara and Sunway Damansara.
The Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, developed byTropicana Corp Bhd (formerly known as Dijaya Corp Bhd) in the 1990s, is a resort-themed development comprising pockets of bungalow lots around a 27-hole championship golf course and a 450,000 sq ft clubhouse as well as semidees and link hous-es.The bungalow lots were reportedly priced from RM32 psf at their launch in l992.Today,land in the Tropicana area is priced from RM500 to RM520 psf, according to LaurelCap Sdn Bhd executive director Stanley Toh.
Adjacent to the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort development,Tropicana Corp had also developed the 409-acre Tropicana Indah (also known as Tropicana Indah Resort Homes and previously, Damansara Indah Resort Homes).
According to Hartamas Real Estate Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Desmond Tho, Tropicana was originally associated with upmarket bungalows and semidees before link houses within the golf course enclave and high-rise developments such as Tropicana Grande,Tropicana Avenue and Casa Tropicana were subsequently added. “Tropicana has become a sought-after location and an affluent neighbourhood over the years. It is one of the best addresses in Petaling Jaya and its golf course is one of the most renowned in the country,” he says.
Tropicana’s property landscape has also become more commercial over the years with the completion of office towers such as Persoft Tower, Menara Lien Ho and Bangunan 3M,with the last two having undergone refurbishment, notes Lau-relCap's Toh. “The change is obvious along Persiaran Tropicana,” he adds.
In terms of the outlook for the area’s property market, he says it is expected to remain bright in the medium to long term. “The integrated development concept and enhancement to connectivity, such as the MRT and upcoming LRT3,will be key factors that appeal to potential buyers and investors.” Tho shares a mildly positive view of Tropicana’s property market over the medium to long term. “Prices have been holding rather steadily over the years even though they are deemed to have reached their peak within the township.
“With the opening of Tropicana Gardens Mall and with the MRT station in Tropicana, we see this as an added value and enhancement to the area. With the addition of newer high-rises in the area, the tenant demand is rather strong as it is now able to attract the younger crowds and potential home purchasers from other areas,” he says.
