Gridcrosser: A Foretaste of the South

Monday, November 11, 2013

A Foretaste of the South

South Park District is Avida’s first master-planned, mixed-use development that will include residential condos, office buildings, a mall and a central park

It is often windy in this part of Alabang, Muntinlupa, south of Metro Manila, near the Laguna Lake. The air that day carried whiffs of the aroma of food, mingling with fumes from the traffic along the National Road. In an empty lot with a cluster of white tents, the stall of Chef Bab’s Sisig offered pork sisig and dinakdakan; King’s Shawarma roasted the Middle Eastern favorite; Giga Bite grilled kebabs, hotdogs, isaw and barbecues; Schmidt’s International Gourmet Hotdogs made its bestselling Coney Island Chilli Dog and other hotdog sandwiches; Bagnet ni Chef Kenneth served up the popular Ilocano fare; Chicago Pizza displayed its pizzas and pasta dishes; and French Toasters made Bad Monkey, banana slices, bacon and peanut butter between slices of brioche, and other French toast varieties.

A chunk of Mercato Centrale had come to the southern part of Metro Manila. Inspired by the markets in Florence and the Borough Market in London, Mercato Centrale first became popular at the Bonifacio Global City. The venture, housed in a white tent, gave city dwellers a unique range of food items and artisanal products by budding entrepreneurs during weekends. Avida, a subsidiary of Ayala Land that specializes in mid-price condominiums and other realty developments, brought the concept to its newest project, the Avida South Park District.

Weekend food markets really started here in the south, said Avida marketing manager Joyce de Guzman, before becoming popular in Makati City and other parts of Metro Manila. So, it was just sort of bringing them back.

This was done to afford the public a glimpse of what it will be like once Avida’s South Park District will be completed. There will be more food markets, bazaar, concerts and even a staging of a ballet, Rock Supremo, by Ballet Philippines as the development takes shape, underscoring Avida’s “live-work-play” environment and philosophy in creating communities.

Raquel Cruz, project development manager of Avida South Park District, said that the 6.6-hectare South Park District is a first for Avida, being a master-planned, mixed-use development that will include residential condos, office buildings, a mall and parks.

A complementary addition to Ayala Land, Inc.’s roster of developments in the area, such as Ayala Alabang Village, Madrigal Business Park, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Southvale and Avida Towers Alabang, South Park District will rise on the former site of a Nestle coffee plant along the National Road in Alabang and will be constructed in several phases over a period of 10 years, costing P12 billion.

The maiden residential condo project, the two-tower Avida Towers Altura, launched its first tower on December 2012, with 433 units of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom types, ranging from P1.8 to P6 million each. Both towers will have a total of 1,054. Six more residential towers are in the planning.

To be managed by Ayala Malls, the regional mall will eat up two hectares of the property and is expected to be open in the fourth quarter of 2015. It will house about 400 local and international shops and other commercial establishments. An office building will house business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, projected to generate 16,000 jobs. A hotel is also on the drawing board.

These developments will surround a central park of about 8,000 square meters, where people can converge and enjoy the greenery. Overall, the different elements of the Avida South Park District will work together to ensure an environment that fosters well-being, good food and good life.