ARCA SOUTH: BUILT ON AYALA LAND’S BEST PRACTICES
The new development presents various advantages for its residents and visitors with its best estate practices, diverse retail options, work spaces, residential developments, and strong linkages to key cities in the metro.
When Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) won the bid for the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) property, it knew exactly how it wanted to develop the 74-hectare estate in Taguig City. With BGC and Nuvali — two of the biggest but very different developments — under its portfolio, they wanted a combination of the two.
Arca South project development head Stephen Comia, who was also part of the original team that conceptualized Nuvali five years ahead of Arca South, recalls, “When we bid for a certain property, we already have an initial development
plan. We had been studying the property as early as 2010 because there was news about it going private. We were very aggressive with the bid because we knew the potential of the area as a new commercial district.”
Indeed, the masterplan of Arca South combines the best practices of the mixeduse developments that ALI has built in the past three decades including the country’s premier commercial business district (CBD) in Makati.
You can say Arca South is the gateway to the south, Makati and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) with several existing and planned access points that include connections to the international airport, Parañaque and other nearby cities.
“We’re bringing the elements that are working well in Makati, Nuvali and BGC. Arca South is mixed-use and sustainable, which is true for all our estates, but what’s unique about it is that it’s a low-density urban development that has the potential to be the next CBD. Unlike in Makati and BGC where there are skyscrapers, the buildings in Arca South are between 12 and 15 stories high.”
While it is not in the flight path of airplanes taking off and landing at the four Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals, there is a height restriction regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority which, according to Stephen, presented unique opportunities for the masterplan.
“First, it was an opportunity to create something very different — a CBD that was low density. It’s going to be more relaxed with a lot of open, sprawling green spaces, which people can enjoy. There will be a linear park that will cut across the lifestyle mall, along with pocket parks that can act as respite or accidental meeting spots.”
CITY IN SYNC
Technology has given developers new opportunities to build intelligent cities and Ayala Land is doing that with Arca South, starting with traffic management.
Stephen says, “Our value proposition is that Arca South is a city in sync. All systems have to be integrated because when we have access to consolidated data, we can decide and act quickly and properly.”
A mall sale, for instance, has a tremendous effect on traffic, as does the need for an emergency response team, whether the fire department or police, to be able to get to a location.
“Arca South will have an adaptive traffic management system. To be able to manage the estate properly, you need to see what’s happening. CCTV cameras will be installed all around and we will have a command center that will manage everything — security, transportation, traffic, all the requirements that make it easy for people because we want to put them first.”
“We planned it carefully in such a way that traffic lights are synchronized — they ‘talk’ to each other in order to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.”
One of Arca South’s unique features is an “underground highway,” a road beneath ground level that connects the estate’s commercial areas.
Imagine you’re in the mall at Arca South and want to go to an office building at the other end of the estate. Rather than exiting the basement parking, you just drive underground without having to deal with the traffic on the streets (or adding to the traffic).
“Around 40 percent of the roads are connected by the underground highway. It not only frees up the streets and doubles the capacity of roads, it also increases pedestrianization and connectivity.”
Making people the priority also includes providing them with efficient buses around the estate — similar to what BGC has — and an alternative way to get from one place to another: on bicycles, as the best cities in the world have.
“We have dedicated bicycle lanes, so people can just bike to get around, say, from their home to office. We’re also studying the bike-sharing program because we have provided the infrastructure already.”
ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL
What makes an intelligent city? Connectivity is a top indicator. Stephen says, “We want to highlight Arca South’s accessibility to different infrastructure projects. The East Service Road is your main connection to Arca, then we also have the Philippine National Railways FTI station at the front door of the development. The train goes from Manila all the way to Calamba and the government has plans to rehabilitate the railway and improve the stations and trains.”
“Also, the planned Skyway extension will connect from Quezon City, and from C5. Along that new road will be an Arca South exit that’s between Magallanes and NAIA 3 exits.”
Stephen says the government has plans of constructing three “inter-modal hubs.” The Parañaque Intermodal Exchange (PITX) is already completed, the second one is the Taguig ITX, which is beside Arca South, and the third is located north of Manila.
Ayala Land is building the Taguig ITX, which is just right outside Arca South. “As the concessionaire, we will build and operate the terminal. It’s the biggest among the three at 5.5 hectares with the capacity of about 4,000 buses.”
Imagine a “port for buses,” which is how Stephen describes the government directive.
“It will have platforms and gates for buses, and an efficient ticketing system. We are in the process of finalizing the plans and the government is reviewing them.”
What the hub will do is to help free EDSA from provincial buses whose terminals are along the busy highway, which creates chokepoints in places like Cubao. “Imagine if you remove all those terminals and put them, in this case, at the Taguig ITX, all buses going to and coming from Cavite, Bicol and other places in the south will stop there. They don’t have to go through the whole length of EDSA.”
LOW DENSITY, FULL OF LIFE
Arca South will have a 50-50 split between commercial and residential developments. Stephen says it’s the right balance for this Ayala Land estate.
ALI’s three residential brands are building in Arca South: Ayala Land Premier (ALP), Alveo and Avida “to offer a variety of residential options and price points”.
“The low-density, mid-rise condominiums are seamlessly connected to the retail areas and open spaces of Arca South. ALP has Arbor Lanes; Alveo has The Veranda and Park Cascades; and there’s Avida Towers Vireo and Avida Towers One Union Place.”
On the commercial side, the first phase will have six office buildings with locators such as Tryne Enterprise Plaza by Alveo Land, Z2 Tower by AVA, Savya Financial Center by Artha Land, Fifty Six Central by Daiichi Properties, and the already operational Makati Development Corporation Headquarters. The Bureau of Fire and Protection and Philippine National Police Offices are also located and operational to serve the community within the estate and the surrounding communities.
“For the retail side, we will open an upscale mall in 2022, Ayala Malls Arca South, which will be like Greenbelt; we will also introduce another retail format similar to Glorietta.’’
Another best practice they’re adapting from BGC is the laidback Bonifacio High Street — retail spaces spread out along the Arca South Main Street.
“You will have a row of retail on bothsides of the park. It’s like a campus-type setting with a fitness area for families to enjoy.”
With sustainability as one of the guiding principles of all Ayala Land estates, Arca South redesigned its road network to work with the lay of the land.
“When we acquired the property, there were already old acacia trees planted there. When we saw the trees, we adjusted the masterplan to integrate the existing trees and complement the planned green open spaces.”
What will life be like for future residents and workers at Arca South? “It will be like living in a modern urban district, but low-density, in sync with everything they need, in a more relaxed pace and setting.”
Residents and visitors of Arca South can now enjoy the AANI Weekend Market, where fresh produce are sold straight from the source. FTI for decades served the agricultural sector and Arca South appreciates this history by bringing food straight from the farms to people’s tables.