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BHL Group of Companies may be a new name in the property development business but the company has already made a name for itself as the contractor of a few projects, mainly in the Klang Valley.
With executive chairman Datuk Lim Boo Kian at its helm, BHL’s new goal is to make its presence felt in the property development sector.
As a first step, BHL is developing USJ One Park, a RM250 million residential development in Subang Jaya that consists of a condominium and terraced and semi-detached homes. Although land is scarce in Subang Jaya, BHL managed to purchase the 13-acre leasehold parcel — located near the Giant and Mydin hypermarkets and about 2km from SEGi College — from Apex Starfield in 2009.
The earthworks have already begun and the development is scheduled to be completed in 1Q2014.
The condominium in USJ One Park, known as Riverdale, will comprise two 24-storey towers and feature 3+1 and two-room units, and a sky garden for social gatherings.
The towers will occupy four acres and offer 328 units that are 892 to 1,242 sq ft in size. Prices start at RM297,000. Each unit will be allocated at least one parking bay.
The 3-storey terraced houses offer five designs and boast built-ups of 2,934 to 3,173 sq ft. Prices range from RM888,000 to RM1,554,000.
“The 61 units face the Kesas Highway and offer attractive views of the surroundings,” Lim tells City & Country.
“There are limited new landed houses in Subang, so those who want to purchase homes close to town will be interested. The unique landscape of USJ One Park will further enhance the environment in the development.”
What is special about the 3-storey twin villas or semidees is that they come with lifts. Their built-ups range from 3,774 to 3,787 sq ft and their prices from about RM1.9 million to RM2.4 million. Besides the state-of-the-art lift that is imported from Sweden and can fit up to five people at a time, each of these 36 homes also comes with a built-in centralised vacuum system.
The show units of the landed homes are expected to be completed on site in March while the ones for the condominium are open for viewing at BHL’s headquarters in Jalan Robson, Kuala Lumpur.
The development is touted as the first gated and guarded neighbourhood in Subang Jaya, complete with 24-hour CCTV surveillance. Residents of the terraced homes and semidees will also have access to a centralised intercom system while the condominium residents will be provided with an access card to the towers. A gym and a swimming pool form part of the common facilities provided for the residents.
“The development is conceptualised with luxury resort living in mind and styled with modern tropical features,” Lim says. The contemporary design of the homes maximises space with high ceilings.
USJ One Park is accessible from the Kuala Lumpur city centre via major highways like the NKVE, NPE, Kesas, LDP, Federal Highway, Elite Highway and Subang-Kelana Elevated Highway (under construction). It fronts Kesas with a direct link from the highway.
Mydin, Summit USJ, Giant, Empire Shopping Gallery and Carrefour are some of the shopping malls and hypermarkets in the area.
Lim says USJ One Park — developed by BHL Construction Sdn Bhd — has seen strong buying interest as it is located in the “well sought-after and mature Subang”.
Some 50% of the units on offer were taken up at a preview held at the end of last year. An official launch is scheduled for March this year.
“The take-up rate was achieved through private invitations and roadshows,” Lim remarks.
When asked why he ventured into property development, Lim says it was because he could have a say on every aspect of the project, from design to construction. “As a contractor, whenever I felt that a development should be built in a certain way, I could not say anything because I wasn’t the developer,” he explains.
As a sign of his commitment, Lim says he prefers to carry out projects one at a time so that each gets his fullest attention.
He also has a fondness for new technology and plans to incorporate the latest in his developments. The centralised vacuum system in the semidees in USJ One Park is but one example.
“I use it in my own home. Back in 2007, I did an interview with Prestige magazine, when I was featured in their list of Top 40 under 40. I was still a contractor then, and I said I would put a centralised vacuum system in my developments if I ever decided to venture into property development … so you could say it’s a dream come true,” Lim smiles.
He says USJ One Park has a number of unique selling points including location and scarcity of new projects in the area.
A 1.5-acre landscaped garden for recreational activities located near the development is a bonus, he adds.
USJ One Park is also close to the Klang River and the developer plans to beautify the area and may even build a small pier for fishing enthusiasts.
Commenting on the high traffic flow in the Subang area, Lim says USJ One Park residents can beat the jam by cutting through the Taipan commercial centre.
“High traffic flow shows that a location is good, which in turn means good capital appreciation for properties there,” he adds.
The 34-year-old had graduated from Deakin University, Australia, with a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Electronic Commerce) and Master of Commerce (International Trade).
Upon returning to Malaysia in 2002, Lim became involved with the MCA, working as a special assistant to a Selangor state executive councillor for 3½ years. He dealt mostly with land and development-related matters, which sparked his interest in construction and property. Lim then set up his own construction company called LNK Builders Sdn Bhd.
In 2004, he established BHL Group of Companies with a few friends and became the CEO of BHL Construction and executive chairman of BHL Builders Sdn Bhd — both subsidiaries of BHL Group of Companies — in early 2006.
BHL has since secured housing and building projects worth more than RM500 million, including the construction of a residential project in Segambut worth RM25.8 million for Palam Mesra Sdn Bhd.
Its other construction jobs are a residential project in Seksyen U20, Shah Alam — with 57 units of 2½-storey bungalows — worth RM20.35 million for Hastanas Development Sdn Bhd and a mixed-use development in Kuala Lumpur comprising 138 units of link houses and 68 units of 2 and 3-storey shopoffices worth RM39.14 million for Parkfair Development Sdn Bhd.
Future developments
After USJ One Park, BHL will move on to a commercial/serviced apartment project in Bukit Segar, Cheras, pending planning approval. The three-acre leasehold project, with a gross development value of RM150 million, will comprise two towers of 20 and 15 storeys each as well as 20 retail outlets. The project is already open for registration.
“The built-up of the serviced apartments will range from 1,000 to 1,800 sq ft,” says Lim.
“The two towers will be linked by a sky bridge to provide uninterrupted views of the cityscape. There will also be a rooftop garden-cum-viewing area — an architectural feature that is designed to give one a sense of open blue skies and lush greenery.”
The facilities include a fully equipped gym, sauna, a yoga zone as well as a community hall and an outdoor timber-decked area. There is also 24-hour security and ample parking space for both residents and visitors.
BHL is also eyeing two pieces of land in the Klang Valley for future projects.
“We want to build a strong portfolio. My philosophy is to ‘buy, build and sell’ before moving on to another development,” says Lim.
This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 845, Feb 14-20, 2011
