Arthaland’s Laguna project a hit for suburban lifestyle promise

Boutique property developer Arthaland Corp. is fast-tracking the development of an eight-hectare green township in Biñan, Laguna, called Sevina Park, which marks the company’s debut as a mixed-use master-planned estate developer.

Sevina Park is the first and only township in the country to date with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification for neighborhood development, a badge of honor for sustainable and well-connected communities.

The model unit for Sevina Park Villas, Arthaland’s first residential offering in this estate, is also vying for LEED gold certification in the home category. Sevina Park Villas is a cluster of limited-edition designer townhouses that are currently selling for P16 million to P25 million per unit.

In a recent interview with Inquirer, Arthaland executive vice president Leonardo Arthur Po said the company—which is positioning itself to be the country’s “foremost sustainable and green developer”—has already sold about two-thirds of available inventory at the townhouse development. The company has also sold 60 out of 83 of the villas, which cater to affluent home-seekers.

A total of 108 townhouses will be brought to the market under the first phase. The smallest units at Sevina Park Villas, designed by renowned architectural firm Leandro V. Locsin Partners, are two-bedroom units with a floor area of 137 square meters but there are units as large as 182 square meters with four bedrooms. Target turnover for the first tranche is in the third quarter of 2021.

“We have pretty much sold out the first phase. We already accelerated the project because of the overwhelming positive response that we have gotten for this development,” Po said.

“This is our transition from a single tower or single project sustainable development to developing sustainable communities,” he said.

The LEED platinum certification for the horizontal residential offering is a milestone for Arthaland, with Po saying this was a “testament to our commitment to sustainability and the quality of our development in terms of sustainability, health and resilience.”

The eight-hectare Sevina Park is designed to be a highly walkable community with 60-percent green and open spaces.

“What’s attractive about the development is its close proximity to Laguna Technopark and the DLSU Laguna campus. It’s also close to Nuvali,” Po said.

Part of the target market for Sevina Park comes from the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) area while some may come from Metro Manila who want to move to lower-density developments, Po said.

Apart from the townhouse development, Po said Arthaland would build four or five mid-rise residential towers. This is part of the plan to create a community with a good mix of residents, Po said.

By 2021 or 2022, Arthaland is also targeting to launch office developments in the area.

While corporate executives can live in the limited-edition villas, Arthaland will offer units at the upcoming residential towers at price points that are more affordable to a broader market.

Asked whether Arthaland is worried about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the real estate market, Po said “there’s an opportunity out there for people who are willing to look, people who want to upgrade from smaller units to a suburban environment.”

Two-thirds of Arthaland’s offerings at Sevina Park will be devoted to the residential segment while the rest will be for commercial developments.