Escape to a quieter, cheaper life
OVERVIEW: Taxi drivers and many other residents haven’t heard of International Media Production Zone, commonly referred to as IMPZ. The up-and-coming area, close to Jebel Ali, is located at the tip where Al Khail Road (E44) joins Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (E311). Sports City, Jumeirah Village Triangle and Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Golf Estates are neighbouring communities.
The most prominent towers, built by Damac, have studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Each of the 10 towers varies slightly in height, and is an average of 18 storeys tall. The Centrium towers nearby, built by ETA Star, offer three-bedroom apartments but no studios. Rents are similar in both buildings. All contain ground-floor grocery shops, while some also have beauty salons, barbershops and cafeterias.
For people who prefer lower-rise options, the three Qasr Sabah buildings, which are each six storeys, offer studios and onebedroom units at similar prices. Built by the RSG Group, a local conglomerate, the three blocks are in a quieter area of IMPZ.
Although there’s a slight downside: there are not yet any grocery shops there, prompting many residents to walk about 800 metres to Me’aisum City Centre. LOCATION AND ENTRY AND EXIT POINTS: IMPZ can be accessed from both sides of E311, and Al Khail Road. Access through Sports City from Victory Heights is controlled by security. TRAFFIC PROFILE: Beware of: Weekday traffic that builds up around 5.30pm by the Al Khail bridge, the main point of entry. This can cause wait times of around 10-20 minutes. Avoid trying to drive to the Al Khail entry from Al Khamila Road, due to long tailbacks on the slip road. FACILITIES:
IMPZ is served by Me’asium City Centre, a popular shopping mall with a large Carrefour hypermarket and shops, cafés and restaurants. The mall is easily within walking distance between both the Centrium and Damac towers. There are also fairly lengthy padded jogging tracks. The tracks are lit at night.
There are currently no schools in IMPZ. But Dubai British School, GEMS International School, Wellington International School, Emirates International School Meadows, and Regent International School are all within a 15-minute drive away.
Apart from a small clinic at the Me’asium City Centre, there are also no hospitals in IMPZ. The Saudi German Hospital on Hessa Street is 15 minutes away by car.
PARKING ISSUES: In the days gone by, many residents would park on the sand to avoid parking costs at the buildings. But for the past year, poles have been put around many of the sandy areas — except outside Centrium. Some tenants have a parking space at the lower floors in their building, while others will have to pay extra. The monthly rent of a parking space inside the building is around Dh400-Dh500.
TRANSPORT: IMPZ’s distance from the city’s main areas means that most residents own cars. There is one bus route, F29, which runs regularly from IMPZ to Mall of the Emirates. It takes about 35 minutes. An Enoc petrol station on the E311 can be handily accessed by driving through IMPZ’s back roads.