‘Pocket urban dev’t’ to rise north of Metro Manila

CLOVERLEAF will give people access to refreshing retail, business, lifestyle and residential possibilities—elements that create an ideal urban lifestyle.

Set to rise in the so-called gateway of Manila to the north, Balintawak, is a “pocket urban development” that will be a place of convergence featuring privacy and exclusivity, convenience and accessibility, anchored on a well-thought-out blueprint for growth.

Developer Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) unveiled March 16 the Cloverleaf, an 11-hectare mixed-use development at Balintawak, flanked by Metro Manila’s major cities in the north, including Caloocan and Quezon City.

The development, which got its name from the nearby cloverleaf-shaped Balintawak interchange of the North Luzon Expressway and a shape associated with luck, will be an “urban oasis” that will spell out Ayala’s aim for urban revitalization, ALI senior vice president and Strategic Landbank Management Group head Meean Dy said.

It will cater to the residential needs of entrepreneurs who have built their enterprises in the bustling Balintawak Market and nearby commercial areas and are won’t to leave; and those who work south of the metro but prefer to live up   north due to lower renting rates, Avida Land president Chris Maglanoc said.

ARTIST’S rendition (above photo) of the Cloverleaf’s commercial strip.

Balancing urban elements

Cloverleaf will balance the different aspects of urban elements to create synergy between ALI’s different product offerings. Thirty-four percent of the area will be assigned for residences—including a 1.4-hectare Avida Towers compound with about 2,000 units and Alveo Towers with 600 units. On the other hand, 62 percent of it will house numerous retail and business developments, including a 40,000-square-meter regional mall—touted by ALI to be “a melting pot for Asian culture.” The mall is set to open by 2017, while the Avida and Alveo Towers are set to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The township will also feature QualiMed’s flagship hospital, a 250-bed medical facility offering quaternary care services specializing in cardiac care and cancer treatment, to be completed by the last quarter of 2017.

In terms of accessibility, Cloverleaf is easily reached via the Light Rail Transit and buses that ply Edsa, and the Skyway Stage 3 project, which is just 20 minutes away. A landscaped pedestrian promenade that will connect Edsa to A. Bonifacio will allow residents, shoppers, and commuters a safe and comfortable walking experience.

ALI has made it a priority to expand its footprint in northern Metro Manila. An earlier Inquirer report said the developer has been aggressively expanding there in recent years, with projects like Vertis North, UP Town Center, UP Technohub and Fairview Terraces. For this project, ALI would be spending P25 billion in a span of 10 years, with the five-year first phase costing P15 billion and the second phase, P10 billion.

Changing the urban landscape of Quezon City and Caloocan, as well as Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela, Dy said “Cloverleaf will give people access to refreshing retail, business, lifestyle and residential possibilities—elements that create an ideal urban lifestyle.”