‘DREAM HOUSE’ DRAWS MORE THAN 10,000
AN extraordinary crowd converged on a shopping mall for the launch of an ‘affordable housing’ scheme by the Sultan of Johor yesterday. The ‘Bangsa Johor Dream House’ project will be expanded to all 10 districts in the state.
THE affordable housing scheme, which is spearheaded by Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar for his people, will be expanded to all 10 districts in Johor in the future.
Known as the “Rumah Impian Bangsa Johor” or Bangsa Johor Dream House, the project features quality homes, some of which are semi-furnished and sold at below market price.
Sultan Ibrahim officially launched the project at Galleria@Kotaraya here yesterday. He unveiled the house models and features, including terms and conditions, for applicants.
The impressive project almost caused a pandemonium as news of the project had led to more than 10,000 people thronging the launch venue here yesterday.
The first phase of the housing scheme, comprising 520 units of prime housing in Bandar Dato’ Onn here, will be developed under a joint venture between a Johor Corporation (JCorp) subsidiary, Johor Land Bhd, and Coronade Properties Sdn Bhd.
JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said the first phase of the housing scheme would be built on 21.3ha of prime freehold land in Bandar Dato’ Onn.
“Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year. The 520 units in this first phase com-
prise 190 units of terrace houses, 130 units of semi-detached houses and 200 units of bungalows priced between RM80,000 and RM100,00.”
He said the second phase of the housing scheme would be built in Bandar Baru Majidee here.
It will comprise two blocks of 12storey buildings featuring 320 units of apartments to be built on a 2.75ha land in Jalan Tebrau by JLand and priced at RM150,000 a unit.
“Construction of this project is expected to begin in the middle of this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.”
The third phase would be developed by Mutiara S’City Sdn Bhd on a 3ha Malay Reserve land in Bukit Saujana, near the city centre.
“A total of 1,000 units will be built in the Bukit Saujana project and the units will have floor spaces of 850 sq ft, 1,000 sq ft and 1,200 sq ft, and priced between RM297,000 and RM420,000.
“All the units come complete with a television, a refrigerator, a washing machine and a stove top. We will also expand the initiative to all the districts in the state.”
Kamaruzzaman said the Bangsa Johor Dream House concept was a first-of-its-kind model not only in Johor but also in Malaysia.
“This is not simply an affordable housing project but a new innovation in the housing sector that can become a catalyst of change for the sector as the houses are not only affordable but are much lower that the market prices,” said Kamaruzzaman.
Present at the event were Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The housing scheme is carried out by the Sultan Ibrahim Foundation under the auspices of Sultan Ibrahim himself with funding from Bank Rakyat.
Sultan Ibrahim described the initiative as a “special gift” for the people of Johor in conjunction with his birthday today.
Among the criteria set under the “Skim Perumahan Mampu Milik Yayasan Sultan Ibrahim” or SPMM YSI (Sultan Ibrahim Foundation Affordable Housing Scheme), applicants must be Johor-born aged 18 and above, single or married, make only one application per married couple, have no other house that they own, and be within the following income brackets:
Type A — House price range of RM130,001 to RM150,000. Those earning not more than RM8,000 monthly;
Type B — House price range of RM100,001 to RM130,000. Those earning not more than RM6,000 monthly; and,
Type C — House price range of RM70,000 to RM100,000. Those earning not more than RM5,000 monthly.
As of 7pm yesterday, a total of 195,000 applicants have registered for the housing scheme via the online application portal at www.yayasansultanibrahim.org. my.