The Zest, Bandar Kinrara

Two of the most visible and talked about projects in Puchong right now are actually within 1km of each other - IOI Boulevard in Puchong Jaya and Setia Walk in Pusat Bandar Puchong by SP Setia. Both projects are conforming to the current trend of boulevard inspired ‘lifestyle’ projects, but the difference between the two is that Setia Walk incorporates service apartments in their mixed development, while the former is does not. There are quite a few reasons for this, IOI already has a sizeable residential area surrounding their development, and while SP Setia is focussing more on comprehensive development covering all aspects of urban living in one enclave.

That is why SP Setia seem to be attracting the vibe from the younger buyers looking for a convenient place to stay. But now, there’s another almost similar development not too far away - The Zest in Bandar Kinrara 9. It’s located a short distance from IOI Mall, along the busy Sg. Besi - Puchong road (also popularly known as the Astro road). To be clear, although this project covering 5.6 acres is located in Bandar Kinrara, it is not developed by I&P or any of their subsidiaries. Instead it is developed by Darul Dinasti (wholly owned subsidiary of Trinity Towers), the same people who brought you the Heron Residency (now completed and handed over).

The commercial area basically consists of about 16 units of 3-storey and 4-storey retail / office lots, fronting the main road. Behind this single row of commercial lots, is the 3 blocks of apartments, with a separate entrance. They are 20 storey service apartment towers with altogether 720 units. The location of BK is conveniently connected to many of the important highways, and from the salespeople (and info on the website) they are also talking about the planned LRT station in Kinrara. One downside is the traffic along this Sg. Besi - Puchong can be quite heavy at peak hours, but the new flyover leading directly into BK will alleviate some of the traffic.

The design of the residential blocks are quite unspectacular, but they serve their purpose well. Only one of the three blocks (Block C) is open for registration at the moment. There are 12 units per floor, either facing poolview, or non pool view. The units are sized 1,110 to 1,213sq. ft., all with a rather similar 3 bedroom 2 bath design. Type A and Type E are the favourable units located at the corner that maximizes the open view sides, some of the other corner units do not have this advantage due to the design. We feel they should have had a choice of larger units, and maybe certain floors with fewer units per floor. But it seems that they are focussing solely on a particular niche of potential buyers.

The facilities are quite extensive though, with a pool area, a landscape oasis, and a clubhouse.

Each 2 parking bays per unit, all podium parking. Somehow we feel that there will be insufficient parking for the commercial area and there will be illegal parkers choking the area surrounding this apartment complex (and also from the residents here). Something to consider.

At the moment the project has not been officially launched yet, so some of the details may be subject to changed so check with the salespeople for the latest changes in the project information.

The indicative pricing starts from RM224,888 onwards which is about from RM200psf. Comparatively, Setia Walk is priced at RM320, much higher but with a different locale and by more established developer. While may make the Zest look more competitively priced, there are also other condo projects around this area that are cheaper, but of course not marketed as lifestyle projects, like Sierra Residency, Kinrara Mas and Avila, just to name a few. At least there are choices for comparison.
source : propertymalaysia.blogsome.com/2009/01/21/the-zest-bandar-kinrara/