Cloverleaf: Metro Manila’s northern gateway

Written by: Vaughn Alviar

Cloverleaf has become a distinctive marker at Metro Manila’s northern gateway, standing out against the busy Balintawak landscape.

That corner of Quezon City wasn’t always a refreshing sight dotted with landscaped promenades, green open spaces with outdoor seating, and buildings with breathtaking designs. The place was filled with textile mills and wet markets until Ayala Land Inc. turned it into a cosmopolitan,  sustainable quarter with opportunities to live, work and play beginning in 2015.

Cloverleaf, named after the cloverleaf-shaped road network adjacent to it, is the builder’s first pocket urban development in the Balintawak area. It is an 11-ha masterplanned project accessible from both Edsa and A. Bonifacio Avenue, a zone that Ayala Land  correctly identified as a promising place for retail, office and residential offerings.

Not only is it near the North Luzon Expressway, it also provides access to the South Luzon Expressway via Skyway Stage 3. Makati takes only 30 minutes and Alabang 15 minutes more. The enclave is reachable through LRT Balintawak Station, one of four areas that the upcoming Edsa Greenways Project will turn pedestrian-friendly.

“A complete, responsive and efficiently operated development will be able to serve the community better, and that is what we strive to offer in our estates,”  John Estacio, ALI estate development head, had said when asked about the company’s motivations for providing well-designed estates nationwide.

Cloverleaf fits his description. What immediately attracts one’s attention when passing by is Ayala Malls Cloverleaf. The four-story mall features a supermarket, a department store and a cinema complex known for its quality surround sound system. Stalls feature local and foreign enterprises selling anything from clothes to food to gadgets. A high 90 percent of its 40,000-sqm gross leasable area is occupied even amid the pandemic. A second phase is set to expand the floor space.

The options at the mall are highly accessible to residents at the estate. Those residing at Avida Towers Cloverleaf can just head over to the mall if they aren’t in the mood to whip up their own meal or want to get some retail therapy. It’s an inclusive mall with breastfeeding and diaper change areas, services for persons with disabilities, and a pet policy.

Avida Towers Cloverleaf ensures an easy, distinct and enriching life for its dwellers. Its amenities include a clubhouse, swimming pool and children’s pool, children’s play area, indoor gym, landscaped spaces and serenity gardens, among others. It has been in demand, especially for those relocating from parts of Quezon City, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas—so much so that the condominiums have registered 16-percent value appreciation six years after its launch.

As Avida offers new housing units to the market this year, Alveo Land will also open Sentrove, a two-tower project with residential and retail components.

Finally, Cloverleaf includes a world-class office component, Cloverleaf Offices. Through it, Ayala provides spaces that spark inspiration, creativity and excellence among workers while providing the demands of today’s top companies. This prime corporate address boasts professional management services and premium sustainable amenities, tying up with the values that make the estate stand out.

With Ayala Land  leading the way, the historic Balintawak district in Quezon City is turning into a vigorous economic hub. The developer is triggering a new wave of developments in the northern side of the capital.

The Junction Place: A refreshing pocket urban neighborhood

Just when you thought there was no more space for growth and transformation in the capital, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is barging into the scene with its newest pocket urban development in Quezon City.

The leading developer is transforming an 11-hectare piece of land in Brgy. Talipapa, Novaliches into The Junction Place, a sustainable masterplanned development that will be “your refreshing neighborhood.”

This exciting transit-oriented address can be reached via Quirino Highway and Tandang Sora Avenue. It is just 5 km away from Edsa, making places like TriNoma, Balintawak and Blumentritt conveniently accessible. If the proposed Mega Manila Subway Station becomes a reality, it will also enjoy a station just 800 m away.

The property will feature a Community Center, a two-story retail lifestyle destination whose locators will include various retail, dining and service brands. True to the ALI brand, this place at the heart of the development will feature green public spaces.

The Junction Place also allocates zones for commercial lots, which can help local small and medium enterprises grow exponentially under the wings of the Ayala Land brand. Business owners can take a cue from big brands like mall chain WalterMart, which has expressed confidence in ALI’s undertaking by establishing a presence in the development.

“In choosing a location for our development since we are a community mall, we look at the population of the area, specifically the population of our target market,” said Jojo de Guzman, senior vice president of WalterMart. The mall chain targets to cater to students, as well as office and factory workers—demographics present around The Junction Place.

WalterMart is currently constructing a building along Quirino Highway, a place that is “actually transforming,” De Guzman noted. “The former industrial areas … in the 1960 and 70s are now transforming into a predominantly residential and commercial area being led by Ayala … and we feel we want to be part of this development.”

The estate will give WalterMart a new populace to serve: “We feel that even if we have two existing malls in Quezon City, this part of Quezon City is an area we are not actually serving yet… and we feel that there is a need for us to service their commercial needs.”

The residential component is Amaia Steps, launched in the first quarter of 2020. Amaia is known for constructing quality real estate options for the affordable market segment, attracting overseas Filipino workers, government employees, teachers, small business owners and young professionals, among others.

In The Junction Place, Amaia will deliver a 1.7-ha five-tower midrise development with units built with their owners’ comfort, convenience and sense of belonging in mind. It will offer studio (24 sqm) and premier (48 sqm) condominium units priced between P2.8 million and P5.8 million.

Dwellers will not only enjoy access to commercial spaces and transport nodes, they will also get to enjoy open spaces, pedestrian walkways, linear parks, and a basketball court, among other features.
The Junction Place promises to be a green, walkable and organized development, helping occupants relax and unwind despite its central location.

There are still spaces across Quezon City and the rest of the capital that can thrive with the right vision—the Ayala Land vision, that is. Knowing how prices skyrocket once this developer works with a place, get ahead of the curve and buy into The Junction Place, a new growth corridor in Novaliches.