BILLION-RINGGIT developments in the Skudai-Nusajaya growth corridor will bring many economic benefits and Country View Bhd is upbeat about the areaˇ¦s potential in the near future.

Its marketing manager Andrew Tan said the area, as part of the southwest Johor development corridor, had been earmarked as the new growth centre in the state.

''Development activities will create a chain of economic opportunities for many, including property developers. More developers in and outside Johor are making inroads into the southwest development corridor,'' he told StarBiz.

Tan said the Federal Government had recognised the importance of the south-west development corridor not only for Johor but also the country. The goal is to turn it into one of the leading integrated service hubs in the region, offering services such as entertainment, recreation, finance, health, hospitality, education, sports and transport.

Tan said the Skudai-Nusajaya growth corridor would be ''very busy'' over the next five to seven years, especially for development activities, and demand for houses in Gelang Patah, Skudai and Tampoi was expected to surge.

Existing infrastructure such as the Senai Airport, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, North-South Expressway and the KTM double-track railway would further complement development in this area.

The State Government had initially picked Kota Tinggi for the new administrative centre but later decided on Bandar Nusajaya. Tan said the latter was a better choice because of its good location and proximity to the city centre.

He said even without the new state administrative centre, developers had made the right decision to come to the south-west corridor, a favourite among Singaporean house buyers as it was near the second crossing to the republic. Many Singaporeans owned houses in Skudai and most of the housing estates there had been around for more than 30 years.

''Developers in this area have no problems selling their houses and buyers have a wide range of residential properties to choose from,'' he said, adding that the companyˇ¦s two ongoing projects there, Nusa Villa and Nusa Indah, had received good response.

Country View's terraced condominium project at Nusa Villa.

Country View did not see the stiff competition as a threat as the company has its own strategy to woo buyers. It is targeting a niche market by offering unconventional products. For example, instead of building town houses, it has coined a new concept - terraced condominium - for its Nusa Villa project.

''By combining both terraced houses and condominium, many of our buyers were attracted to this concept which is new in Johor Baru. It worked,'' Tan said, adding that 220 units priced from RM144,800 to RM170,000 had been sold.

The second phase comprising 81 condominium units priced from RM169,000 to RM220,000 would be ready by early 2007. Buyers were a mix of small families, professionals, singles and retirees who stressed on security.

On Nusa Indah, Tan said the focus would be on double-storey terraced houses, as there were too many developers offering single-storey houses in the area.

The target market would be upgraders and first-time house buyers looking for affordably priced double-storey houses.

The take-up rate for the four-bedroom and three-bathroom double-storey houses with 1,600 sq ft and 1,924 sq ft built-up area is good. Tan said all Nusa Indah houses would have three contemporary facades and layout designs.

The 132-acre freehold project would have 2,000 residential and commercial units when completed in 2008.

The company recently acquired another 120 acres next to Nusa Indah from Prolink Development Sdn Bhd. ''Visitors going to the new administrative centre have to pass through our project and a new link road will be built soon,'' he added.

He said demand for landed properties in Johor was still good as the state had large tracts of development land.

Source : The Star 14/11/2005