Condo Overload
May 19th 2011 14:52
:
Luxury Condominium Development
Seven years ago when I researched my first visit to the island of Penang I learned that it was called the Pearl of the Orient. I guess I expected a "small" island. When I arrived here I saw a large island with many large hills lush with rainforest growth and populated with monkeys, I walked along Gurney Drive, with luxury hotels, condo, foodcourts and hawker stands lining one side of the road and the ocean splashing upon the beach on the other side. Traveling around the island I do remember seeing numerous high end condos intermixed with low cost housing developments. I really fell in love with the island and it;s scenery.
Now things have changed. A large luxury housing development, including a very high end shopping center with extremely expensive condos above and a marina, has been built on reclaimed land. It is my understanding that reclaimed land should not be built upon for at least 15 years, but the time elapsed for this development was less than 5 years. Because of this development walking along Gurney Drive is akin to walking beside a mud flat. One can only see mud and washed up garbage and trash. Nature and beauty for all destroyed for the benefit of a wealthy few.
Driving along the main thoroughfare from the downtown area to the largest tourist and expat enclave, Batu Ferringhi, once can see one massive super condo after another. Super condos are approximately 6,000 sq.ft. and more and are priced well into the millions of ringgits (at least 1 millon USD). Many of these condos are built on the formerly rainforested hillsides. Little by little the forests and vegetation and animals are being replaced by concrete and glass. They are impressive buildings, but I wonder if they will withstand the heavy Penang rainstorms and landslides.
Everywhere there is a postage sized plot of land it seems developers are planning to build multistory supercondos. As these buildings spring up nothing is heard of the environmental impact or improving the infrastructure. There is only one road between downtown and Batu Ferringhi and it is constantly jammed with traffic, both ways. There seems to be no plans for widening the present road or building an additional one.
The one question I have about the development of all of these structures is who's going to live there. The local people can in no way afford to buy these properties and most expat retirees could not affort them either. The square footage is way too high for retirees also. From my understanding the vast majority of these properties are bought by wealthy Chinese from mainland China and other areas of Asia. Driving trhough this area at night reveals that very few people are living in these luxuyr units. The highrises are mostly dark.
My fear for the future is that Penang will become an island devoid of any rainforest vegetation and wildlife. I recall visits to Shanghai, China, where I saw many beautiful skyscrapers and luxury housing developments, but not a bird nor squirrel were seen nor heard.
Now things have changed. A large luxury housing development, including a very high end shopping center with extremely expensive condos above and a marina, has been built on reclaimed land. It is my understanding that reclaimed land should not be built upon for at least 15 years, but the time elapsed for this development was less than 5 years. Because of this development walking along Gurney Drive is akin to walking beside a mud flat. One can only see mud and washed up garbage and trash. Nature and beauty for all destroyed for the benefit of a wealthy few.
Driving along the main thoroughfare from the downtown area to the largest tourist and expat enclave, Batu Ferringhi, once can see one massive super condo after another. Super condos are approximately 6,000 sq.ft. and more and are priced well into the millions of ringgits (at least 1 millon USD). Many of these condos are built on the formerly rainforested hillsides. Little by little the forests and vegetation and animals are being replaced by concrete and glass. They are impressive buildings, but I wonder if they will withstand the heavy Penang rainstorms and landslides.
The one question I have about the development of all of these structures is who's going to live there. The local people can in no way afford to buy these properties and most expat retirees could not affort them either. The square footage is way too high for retirees also. From my understanding the vast majority of these properties are bought by wealthy Chinese from mainland China and other areas of Asia. Driving trhough this area at night reveals that very few people are living in these luxuyr units. The highrises are mostly dark.
My fear for the future is that Penang will become an island devoid of any rainforest vegetation and wildlife. I recall visits to Shanghai, China, where I saw many beautiful skyscrapers and luxury housing developments, but not a bird nor squirrel were seen nor heard.
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Comment by Watertown Wanderer
Malaysia Found
steve sovie
Retired Away