Bukit Damansara

Bukit Damansara or Damansara Heights is an affluent suburb in western Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, located five kilometres from the city centre. It is a sought-after residential and commercial address in the Klang Valley. It was dubbed as the Beverly Hills of KL by The Star, listing it as one of the most expensive and upmarket housing markets in Malaysia.^{[citation needed]}

Background

Damansara Heights is accessible from Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Jalan Maarof, in Bangsar, connects Jalan Damansara. Jalan Duta and Jalan Semantan can be used for a drive into Damansara Heights from the North-South Expressway.

According to The Edge Daily, Damansara Heights prides itself as one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Malaysia.^{[citation needed]} It started as a residential scheme for government servants more than two decades ago. The enclave hosts colleges, large multinational corporations, restaurants, regulatory bodies and government departments.

Over the years, Damansara Heights has emerged as an alternative to the congested Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur. ^{[citation needed]} The first office building built in Damansara Heights was Wisma Damansara, built in 1970 by Selangor Properties. This was followed by the Damansara Office Complex on Jalan Dungun, which at the time also housed the local stock exchange.

There are about 25 purpose-built office buildings within the Damansara Heights' commercial enclave, contributing some 5,000,000 sq ft (460,000 m²) of office space. Rentals here are about 25% cheaper than that in the city — for example in KL City Centre with the exception of Grade A buildings like Petronas Twin Towers, Menara Maxis, Menara Citibank, Menara Dion and Menara IMC, rent averages at RM 10 psf against RM 5 psf in Damansara Heights. The crème de la crème of Petronas Twin Towers commands RM12 psf while Menara Milenium in Damansara Heights fetches RM 8 psf.

The housing facility availability in the area is a draw. The lists of A-grade tenants relocating here is growing, due possibly to the easier traffic flow (helped by the upgrading of the Sprint Highway), competitive rentals and accessibility between KL, Petaling Jaya and other suburbs. Fortune 500 firms such as Caltex, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, Ogilvy and Shell all have their operational bases in Damansara Heights.^{[citation needed]}

The office market in the Klang Valley totals 70,000,000 sq ft (6,500,000 m²) and this is dominated by city-located projects (65%), Damansara Heights (7.5%), Bangsar/Pantai (6.4%), Petaling Jaya (9.5%) and others. Based on government-sourced data, Damansara Heights will see another 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m²) in the near future.

Damansara Heights is limited by its small amount of available commercial land and redevelopment is on hold. It is indicated by the demolishing of Wisma Socfin on Jalan Semantan for the construction of UOA II Damansara, along with several other buildings nearby. Increasing efficiency of newer buildings and more modern designs are the driving forces behind the trend. There are redevelopment plans for some office buildings in the area, such as Banguan SPPK and Wisma Damansara. Wisma Beringin is undergoing refurbishment.

Entertainment

• Mid Valley Megamall
• Bangsar Shopping Centre
• Hartamas Shopping Centre
• One Mont Kaira

Facilities

• Saidina Umar Al-Khatab Mosque
• Plaza Damansara
• Damansara Specialist Police Station
• Youth Parks

References

See also

• Damansara

External links

• Damansara Heights Twins