THERE'S nothing more to ask from the soon-to-develop first large-scale integrated mixed-use and master planned township right in Davao City as Lapanday Properties Philippines Inc. Ingenue president Marcelito Roldan Manalili, developer of the mixed-use township, said the promising concept of Ciudades is to bring in several communities to form a whole new city. "It's the adjoining of cities that build together an ideal community," Manalili said, referring to Ciudades, a Spanish word that means "cities. The developer said they came up with the master planned township while taking into consideration the growing crowd in both northern and southern parts of Davao, apparently brought about by endless stream of investments from business sectors. Even as the eastern part of the city is very much fitting to house the Lapanday's very own township yet it is still left undeveloped. On the other hand, the new development seeks to decongest the areas regarded so far as the business district, catering the expansion needs of the metropolis. Ciudades is situated in a vast 200-hectare stretch of land along Tigatto Road, Buhangin where the developer plans to put in place the First-Mindanao Business and Industrial Park (FMBIP), which is poised to become the town's premiere businesses and industrial hub. Located within the 20-hectare unique mixed-use park are areas intended for the Business-Industrial-Residential Estate (Bire), designed for its multi-use features that combine together commercial, production, manufacturing, office, residential and warehousing purposes in one. "Residents can make their homes an office," Manalili said, justifying the multi-use function of every component of this township. Also within the FMBIP, Ciudades has provided a total of 84 lots, of which 34 are for the phase one, 37 for the phase two, and 14 for phase three. In its plan, Lapanday also boasted the soon-to-launch El Centro, which is said to be the first commercial park concept in Davao, serving as the convergence point for commercial, institutional, leisure, sports, and recreational requirements of the town. "El Centro will cater to the resident's needs of healthy living, dining destinations, local tourism, and balanced environment," Manalili said, noting the city's evolving lifestyle. Despite its very innovative architecture, the developer has promised not to compromise the environment, keeping it green amid the highly competitive business atmosphere. With this, prospective residents will be assured that they can still enjoy the environment adorned with lush greeneries, even if there are industries around. There are also on-going exclusive housing projects within Ciudades, which cover Las Palmas Verdes, Nizanta Homes and the Altea Homes. "They (companies) can do whatever they want as long as they follow certain restrictions," Manalili pointed out even as he emphasized that companies planning to set up facilities here will have to limit themselves on a strict regulation. Lapanday Properties also boasted Ciudades being a flood-free area through its most efficient facilities and utilities. The incubation period to come up with such a concept lasted for a year, according to Manalili. At the completion of Ciudades, residents as well as those planning to move in here are left with nowhere else to go, as everything they need from health and lifestyle, work, shop and sell, among others, are here.
