The historical Balestier area is going through a makeover, with swanky new residential projects and several hotels now seen lining its streets.
It is also attracting high demand from young couples and professionals looking for a convenient city fringe property.
Still, home prices in Balestier are not rising as fast as other city fringe areas, but analysts say this trend may change once government works to spruce up the area are complete.
According to data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, home prices in Balestier are growing more slowly than those in other city fringe areas, increasing by 9% on-year compared with the overall city fringe price growth of 11% on-year.
The Viridian, a 23-storey condominium, is Global Orion Properties' maiden residential project.
The industrial property developer chose the historical Balestier area - the former home to Singapore's early immigrants - for the freehold development on Jalan Ampas, just off Balestier Road.
The property will have 108 units, ranging from 500 to over 3,300sqft each, and amenities like a swimming pool and a recreational terrace.
Satia Narjadin, director of Global Orion Properties, said: "In terms of amenities and location, it really can't be beaten - we are just outside of the city area itself. From here to Orchard Road, it's just 5 minutes.
"If you take a walk outside, there is food aplenty, you have places to do grocery shopping, (and) it is conveniently located within walking distance to the MRT".
Prices at The Viridian are going at $1,550psf - typical for new developments in Balestier like The Interweave, SkySuites 17 and Okio Residences.
Analysts say the massive 421,000sqft Zhongshan Park hotel and retail project in Balestier will boost its attractiveness even further.
The government has also announced plans to revamp the Balestier area, including building new footpaths and creating a heritage trail.
Liang Thow Ming, head of residential services, Credo Real Estate, said: "You will find that similar properties within the city on a 99-year leasehold will be costing you anything from $2,000psf upwards.
"Therefore, if you look at a freehold Balestier (property), at about $1,400 or $1,500psf, that is value for money - for them to buy or even for investors who will probably be buying so that they can rent it out."
The Viridian will sit on a former en bloc factory site, bought for S$27.5 million, while Skysuites 17 will be rebuilt from an old residential property, Diamond Tower.
Analysts say the Balestier area holds much en bloc potential for developers as the old gives way to the new.
Source: Channel News Asia
If only they will get rid of the numerous budget hotels and karaoke bars along Balestier Road as well...
. Project Name: The Viridian Tenure: Freehold Location: 6 Jalan Ampas District: 12 Site Area: 27,839sqft TOP (estimated): 2Q 2014 Total Units: 108 No. of Blocks/Storey: 1 Block of 23-Storey Car Park Lots: Multi-storey parking with 108 lots + some visitors & handicapped lots Developer: Orion-One Residential Pte Ltd
The wife and I were at the sales gallery of The Viridian over the weekend. This is located at the actual project site along Jalan Ampas, off Balestier Road.
The Viridian is the first foray by Global Orion Properties into the Singapore residential arena. The project consists of 108 apartments located within a 23-storey block, and is designed by renowned local architectural firm Ong & Ong.
The Viridian takes its name from the Latin viridis, which means “green”. Thus one can expect a fair amount of greenery within the project.
The Viridian offers mostly 1 and 2-bedders, which come in standard and loft variants: • 1-Bedroom (Type A1): 506sqft (22 units) • 1+Study (Type A2): 527sqft (44 units) • 1+Study Loft (Type B1/B2): 883/1249sqft (16 units) • 2+Study (Type C): 893sqft (22 units) • 3-Bedroom (Type D): 1033sqft (2 units) • 3-Bedroom Penthouses (PH): 3326sqft (2 units)
Apartment units start from 7th storey onwards, as the 1st – 5th floors are multi-storey parking. The standard “1 lot per apartment” applies, so buyers with more than one vehicle will have to keep their fingers crossed on some of their neighbours not owning cars or take their chances with roadside parking along Jalan Ampas.
The facilities are all located at the “sky terrace” on the 6th floor. For a small development, the offering is actually quite generous - you get a putting green and reading area in addition to the standard features. However, the 25m lap-pool is only about 5m wide, so beware of “oncoming traffic” while doing laps.
There are two showflats in the sales gallery: • 527sqft, 1+study apartment (Type A2) • 883sqft, 1+study loft unit (Type B1)
Both unit types exhibit quite a few similarities, so we shall concentrate on the Loft as it is the more interesting of the two.
As you enter the apartment, the kitchen (kitchenette rather) lines the walkway into the living area. This seems to be a common feature for most "small" apartment these days, as it optimizes space usage. The kitchenette comes with "Bosch" hob/hood/oven/fridge and nice looking set of top/bottom kitchen cabinet.
There is not much of a dining area to speak of, so one needs to be creative on how to fit a dining table into the apartment. One option is shown in the showflat, but this will only sit two. Another option is available, which we will elaborate in due course.
The living area is square-shaped and feels quite spacious despite the smallish space. This is probably because of the "double volume" ceiling (about 6m versus the typical 2.9m for a typical unit). You also get 60cm x 60cm marble flooring for the whole walkway/living/dining area.
The balcony is rectangular-shaped and huge in relation to the living/dining area, which allows for the option of using this space as an external (larger) dining area if so desired. You can easily fit a long table that sits 4 - 6 people here.
The "Study" is located behind the living area, next to the staircase that leads up to the loft. The tiny area seems like an afterthought - it is fully enclosed with no window so forget about natural lighting or ventilation.
Across from the Study is a recess area for housing your washing machine/dryer (all the necessary piping and water inert/outlet are provided). If you can make do without a Study, that area is actually more suited for doing your ironing. And if you are one of those that prefers to "air dry" your laundry, the only place you can do that is probably at the balcony.
A "powder room" is located next to the Study. This is only available in the Loft unit, as the typical 1+study apartment has only one toilet (i.e. the master bathroom). The wife and I always like the idea of a separate toilet for guests rather than have them use the master bathroom, which is private and should remain so.
The master bedroom is located on the loft level and is huge. You can easily fit a King bed in here and still have enough space for a writing desk (against the glass partition overlooking the living area below, maybe?). The area is probably more condusive to study in compared to the "Study" below, given that it is bright and airy.
The loft area is decked with nice timber-strip floors and the wardrobe provided is of pretty good quality.
The master bathroom is quite good size and comes with ample storage cabinet (behind the vanity mirror and below the vanity top). The standing shower stall is fitted with both wall-mounted and "rain" showers, which is a nice touch. However, you only get homogenous-tile floors/walls (instead of marble), which is a tad disappointing.
Price wise, here is what you can expect to pay:
• 506sqft, 1-bedder on the 7th floor: $785,000 or $1551psf • 527sqft, 1+study on the 7th floor: $817,000 or $1550psf • 883sqft, 1+study loft on the 18th floor: $1,250,000 or $1416psf
We were told that all unit types are still available, since the project has only started its preview on June 1st.
What we like: • The external design and look of The Viridian is quite appealing. It vaguely resembles The MarQ – a luxury project located along Paterson Road.
• The quality of furnishing and fittings are quite exceptional, even down to the type of light switches that are provided. The standard is definitely higher than Okio – the other new project in Balestier that we have recently seen.
• Amenities are conveniently located within short walking distances, whether be it for food or shopping. Also easy access to PIE, CTE and ECP.
• Two primary schools within 1-km of The Viridian – Balestier Hills & Hong Wen Primary (both co-ed). However, this may be scarce consolation as the project is not exactly targeting families.
What we dislike: • Location – This is the biggest issue we have with The Viridian. The project is located in a semi-industrial part of Balestier - the rear and one side of the project face some old warehouses and industrial buildings, while the front faces another high-rise condo (Ampas Apartment). Thus the view from lower-floor units may not be all too appealing, especially if the surrounding remains status quo in the next few years.
Our Verdict: The developer is definitely out to impress with The Viridian - their maiden residential project in Singapore. And the wife and I definitely prefer The Viridian over Okio in terms of quality and facility offering. The project should appeal to the single and DINK buyers, although the actual site may put some people off. However, buyers can probably be assured that The Viridian will stand out as the rose among the “thorns” that surround the project.
We also feel that the $1500psf average price tag is rather high for a project in Balestier. This is despite The Viridian’s freehold status and especially given its “less than ideal” location. However, this seems to be the curent asking price for new projects in this area and as long as there are takers, who are we to complain…!?
Industrial developer Global Orion Properties has ventured into the residential arena with its 108-unit The Viridian in the Balestier area.
Units at the freehold project are priced at an average of $1,550psf, with overall prices starting from $785,000 for a one-bedroom unit.
The 23-storey The Viridian comprises mostly one- and two-bedroom units. Previews start today.
The development is Global Orion Properties’ debut residential project, and comes after it established a portfolio of contemporary industrial projects such as i-Lofts@Changi, Northstar@AMK, The Crescent @ Kallang and Meissa in Pasir Panjang in the last few years.
Satia Narjadin, director of Global Orion Properties, said that his firm has been exploring breaking into the residential market in Singapore for some time now.
“We actually have a lot of residential development experience, just not in Singapore,” he said.
A sister company of Global Orion Properties has built and sold homes in Australia and Indonesia.
But the expectations from homebuyers in Singapore are a lot higher, Mr Narjadin said. So the developer spent some time hunting for choice sites and studying the market.
The firm is building The Viridian on an industrial building at Jalan Ampas (off Balestier Road), which it bought in a collective sale in February 2010.
The Viridian is designed by Singapore-based architectural firm Ong & Ong Architects. True to the Latin origin of its name – which means “green”- the property will come with lush landscaping throughout to bring nature closer to residents.
. Project Name: Okio Residences Tenure: Freehold Location: 262 Balestier Road District: 12 Site Area: 22,285sqft TOP (estimated): 4Q 2015 Total Units: 104 apartment units + 10 shops/offices No. of Blocks/Storey: 1 Block of 18-Storey Car Park Lots: Multi-storey Parking with 114 lots Developer: SDB Asia Pte Ltd
The wife and I decided to visit the sales gallery of Okio Residences over the weekend. This is a freehold project by Malaysian developer Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB).
The actual site of Okio Residences is at Balestier Road (where Balestier Complex used to be). However, the sales gallery is located along Clemenceau Avenue North, diagonally across from Newton Hawker Centre.
Some of you may wonder how the name Okio Residences comes about. “O kio” actually means “Black Bridge” in Hokkien and apparently, the Hokkien used to refer to Balestier Road as “O kio”.
Okio Residences consists of 1 block of 18-storey each. It is a mixed development with apartments from the 5th to 18th storey, while 4 shop and 6 office units occupy 1st – 4th storey. The project was launched back in February and more than 80 of the 104 apartment units have already been sold as of last weekend.
The freehold project offers a mix of 1 and 2-bedroom “small format” apartments as well as penthouses: • 1-Bedroom (48 units): 420 & 431sqft • 1-Bedroom Garden Villa (4 units): 452 & 463sqft • 2-Bedroom (44 units): 570 & 592sqft • 2-Bedroom Garden Villa (4 units): 657 & 667sqft • Penthouses (4 units): 1044 & 1098sqft
The Garden Villas are basically ground-floor (5th floor rather) units that come with private terraces and direct access to the pool deck. The penthouses are duplex units that come with private Jacuzzis.
As can be expected, the facility offerings at Okio Residences are rather basic. Everything is located on the 5th floor: • 25m Lap Pool (1) • Hydrotherapy Spa Pool (2) • Pool Deck (3) • BBQ Area (4) • Poolside Gym (5)
Parking lots are available in the 4 levels of multi-storey carpark, with one lot per unit. The marketing agent will have you believe that there is more than sufficient parking lots given that many residents (especially the 1-bedders) will probably not own cars. So if you own more than one car, you better hope that it’s true.
There is only one showflat on display – this is a 570sqft, 2-bedroom unit (Type B2).
The living/dining area and kitchen are all contained in a small rectangular space. However, the developer has done a very good job with space planning.
The kitchen and dining area stretches along one side of the wall, with a “pull out” dining table (included) that should comfortably sits four. The units comes with integrated fridge, induction cooker hob and hood, oven and washer/dryer (all from “Bosch”) as well as all the cabinets you see in the photo below. Even the sofa is provided, which can be converted into a bed if needed. You get a ceiling height of 2.95m, while the flooring throughout the whole apartment is made of “engineered wood” – this consists of three layers, i.e. oak, compressed timber and plywood. You will also find a small home shelter (just after the main door and to your left) as well as a small balcony at the end of the hall.
The common bedroom is small, but if you place the bed in the same manner as shown in the showflat, you can actually free up quite alot of space! The integrated wardrobe/storage cupboards/study table you see in the photo comes standard with the unit.
The master bedroom is good for a “Queen” bed but nothing much else. The room opens out to another balcony, which we felt is an overkill given the size of the apartment. (* Sorry but we were unable to show you the master bedroom *)
There is only one bathroom in the whole apartment, but this is surprisingly spacious and well-designed to save on space (e.g. storage cabinets behind the mirror).It is fitted with homogenous-tile floor/walls and “Duravit” toilet and “Grohe” bathroom fittings.
The most unique feature of the whole apartment is actually found in the standing shower stall – a door actually opens out to an air-con ledge that also doubles as the laundry area. It comes equipped with a “laundry drying” system (i.e. hangers attached to a set of pulleys that allow you to air-dry your laundry), which is both practical and quite cool in terms of design.
Price wise, a 570sqft, 2-bedder (Type 2B) unit on the 14th floor (#14-08, facing the lap pool) will cost you $881,600 or $1,547psf. Alternatively, you can purchase a 420sqft, 1-bedder (Type 1B) unit on the same floor (#14-04, backward facing) for $713,300 or $1,698psf.
Monthly maintenance charges will set you back around $320 for the 2-bedder or $280 for the 1-bedder.
What we like: • The efficient use of space and well thought-out interior design, which is extremely important for apartment of such (small) size.
• Amenities are conveniently located within short walking distances, whether be it for food, marketing (Whampoa Market) or even shopping. Also easy access to PIE, CTE and ECP.
• Two primary schools within 1-km of Okio Residences – St. Joseph Institution Junior (boys) & Hong Wen Primary (co-ed). However, we reckon this may not be an important consideration as the project may not really appeal to families (given the unit size).
What we dislike: • Location – Okio Residences is located along Balestier Road, which is quite a busy road throughout the day. As such, we reckon that apartments facing the main road (i.e. the 2-bedders) will be a tad noisy, unless you keep the windows closed (and air-condition on) the whole time.
• This may sound anal, but the wife and I find the number of budget hotels around Okio Residences somewhat disturbing.
• The wife and I have reservations about mixed-developments, as the quality of tenants that occupy the shop and office units may have a huge impact on the value (perceived or otherwise) of the apartments.
• The quality of furnishing and fittings can certainly be better given the asking price of the units. The soft furnishings (e.g. sofa and dining table) are especially disappointing.
Our Verdict:Okio Residences is definitely one of the better “small format” projects (in terms of interior design and space planning within the apartments) that we have come across so far. We reckon that the development will probably appeal to singles or DINKS who enjoy living in the Balestier area, but less so for family units. However, one may find the price (in excess of $1,500psf) too steep for comfort despite its freehold status.
. After a month-long hiatus (slightly longer actually), the wife and I decided to check out Dunsfold Residences yesterday.
Dunsfold Residences is a cluster bungalow project along Dunsfold Drive (off Bradell Road). It is located within the Bradell Heights landed housing enclave, which according to the wife, is a prime landed estate outside the Core Central Region.
Dunsfold Residences consist of 6 freehold strata bungalows built on a site area of about 11,200sqft. The bungalows come in different sizes of between 5737 to 6329sqft (strata area). It is developed by Dunsfold Residences Pte Ltd, which actually tells us nothing about the developer. Our web search drew a blank too.
Each bungalow has 5 levels (2 Basements, 2 Storey and an Attic) and 5 bedrooms (6, if you count the bomb shelter in basement 2 as well). Each house also gets 2 parking lots and a private pool.
Although the "on paper" TOP date of Dunsfold Residences is 31st Dec 2011, the bungalows looked to be ready for occupation anytime now. We were told that 4 of the 6 bungalows were already sold - only House# 3B and 3C are still available.
As per most cluster housing projects, your "main door" is actually located in the basement carpark, i.e. next to your parking lots.
As you enter the "main door", you find a huge bedroom with attached bath - this is ideal as a "granny room", entertainment room, guest room or even a study. You also find two sets of staircases - one leading down to basement 2 (yes, 2 basements!) and the other up to the living/dining room.
Basement 2 is where the maid's room - your domestic helper will be overjoyed as this is one HUUUGE room with attached bath - and bomb shelter are located. There is also ample open space with natural lighting for doing the laundry and ironing... and maybe even play ping-pong! The only issue we have with this area is the air-well - this is uncovered (probably deliberate as it provides better ventilation) , which means it can get rather wet during rainy days.
The living/dining/kitchen area is on the ground level. The wife and I like the spacious living/dining room, which is rectangular-shaped with no odd corners (easy on the furniture placement). A guest bathroom is available next to the door that leads you to the pool area.
The kitchen is spacious and functional. However, the cooking hob/hood and kitchen fittings/cabinets that are provided looked rather nondescript, which is somewhat of a disappointment.
"The "pool" resembled a rectangular bath-tub - not particularly impressive in our opinion.
Two bedrooms are located on the second floor - both very good-sized and regular-shaped. Both are "en-suite" but they share the same bathroom, i.e. the bathroom has 2 separate doors that lead into each of the bedroom.
The master bedroom is located on the top (attic) level. Space will be the last thing you need to worry in here - the real challenge is how to furnish the room adequately so that it does not look bare.
The attached bathroom comes with "His" and "Her" sinks but no bath-tub - this is perfectly fine by us but those of you that enjoy a good soak in the long tub after a hard day will be disappointed. Then again, there is always the "bath tub" (aka pool) outside.
The master bedroom also comes with ample wardrobe space, but the final finishing can certainly be better (okay, we are probably being picky but then again, you are paying good money for this!).
As the master bedroom is located in the attic level of the house, you find a somewhat odd-looking storage space next to the wardrobe. The space is probably good for storing your luggages, golf bags (although it's a looong way to lug them down to the basement everytime you head out to the golf course), and definitely an excellent hiding place when playing hide-and-seek!
The wife and I were told that Dunsfold Residences is within a 10-minutes walk to Lorong Chuan MRT (just don't ask us how to get there), with easy access to CTE/PIE/KPE. The "easy CTE access" bit we can certainly appreciate, as the two remaining unsold houses (3B & 3C) are situated right beside the Lorong Chuan/CTE intersection. So yes, they are a tad noisy if you open the windows - which probably explains why they are still unsold.
But if you don't mind the noise (or do not open the windows of your house much), and have a budget of around $3 million, Dunsfold Residences may be worth a visit. This is especially if you are looking for a big house with spacious interior living.
A dear friend of ours has commented that our previous reviews were… well… too “chunky”. So the wife and I decided to take a slightly different tact on this one. Let us know if you like this better.
District: 14 Location: Dakota Crescent Address: 70 – 84 Dakota Crescent Developer: UOL Development (Dakota) Pte Ltd Tenure: 99-year Leasehold Site area: 185,000sqft Expected TOP: July 2014
Description: Total of 9 condominium blocks, comprising • Four 20-storey blocks (Block 70, 72, 76 & 78), • Three 19-Storey blocks (Block 80, 82 & 84) • One 6-storey podium block with 5-levels of parking and 11 Cabana units on the 6th level. • Total number of units: 616
(1) The developer has combined a 1-bedder and a 2-bedder to form the “Dual-Key” unit. It has one main door that opens up into 2 separate apartment units, each with own living/dining and kitchen. (2) The “Cabana” units are 2-bedroom apartment located on the 6th floor of the podium block. Each unit has a patio that faces the lap/wadding pool, and comes with its own dedicated parking space on the 5th level just below the unit.
Facilities: WATERBANK @DAKOTA is a full-facility condominium. The facilities are spread across the ground level, 5th level of Block 78 (gym) and the 6th level of the podium block adjacent to the Cabana units. No tennis court is available in this development. There are 5-level of multi-storey parking located in the podium block, with the already much publicized 554 parking spaces for the 616 apartment units. The multi-storey carpark is connected to Blocks 78 and 80 by overhead link-bridges, and to the rest of the blocks via covered walkways on the ground level.
There are 2 showflats in the sales gallery:
Showflat #1: 1981sqft, 4-bedroom ground-floor unit (Type EG) • Living/Dining – rectangular shape, although seemed a tad small for an almost 2,00sqft unit. Comes with 60cm x 30cm marble-slab floors and 2.8m ceiling.
• Balcony – rectangular shape of almost 400sqft that stretches across the whole length of the living/dining room through to the 3 adjacent bedrooms. Functional enough for a 6 – 8-seater long dining table for outdoor dining.
• Dry Kitchen – divides the living area from the wet kitchen. Solid-surfaced top and sink.
Wife and I were not impressed with the quality of kitchen furnishing and appliances provided.
• Yard – None, so dryer is a must else laundry can only be hung dry in the balcony.
• Utility Room – space enough to fit a single bed but nothing else thereafter.
• “Maid’ toilet – The door actually faces directly at the kitchen top. This is very bad Feng Shui (according to wife) as the kitchen is the “wealth” area of the house. So having the toilet facing the kitchen will drain away all wealth. On a hygiene aspect, it may also be unhealthy to have all the “bad air” from the toilet circulating in the kitchen when one is cooking.
• 2 Common Bedrooms – both are regular shaped, but one is rather small while the other can comfortably fit a “Queen” bed. They come with wood-strip floors and maroon coloured wardrobe with leather-like exterior finish – this looked nice from afar but on closer inspection, the quality of workmanship can certainly be improved.
• Common Bathroom – Decent size, with standing shower stall (no rain shower), “Grohe” bathroom fittings and non-descript toilet fittings. The bathroom sink is really old-fashioned looking, and in our opinion, quite ugly.
• Junior Suite – Decent size enough for a “Queen” bed and comes with the same maroon-coloured wardrobe. Attached bathroom is almost an exact replica of the common bathroom.
• Mater Bedroom - Again decent sized and should fit a “King” bed rather comfortably, with more than average wardrobe space. The Master Bathroom is very good sized, with 90cm x 30cm marble floors and walls. There is a long tub and an adjacent standing shower, but no rain shower option. The standard “Grohe” bathroom and non-descript toilet fittings apply.
Showflat #2: 1389sqft, 3-bedroom ground-floor unit (Type DG) • Living/Dining – similarly shaped and furnished as the 4-bedder, and even smaller in size.
• Balcony – Again of rectangular shape about 400sqft that stretches across the living/dining area and across the adjacent Master and Common bedrooms. You probably will have to move the dining area out here given the small living area.
• Dry Kitchen – Nonee
Wet Kitchen – Irregular shaped and comes with the same kitchen furnishing and appliances as the 4-bedder.
• Yard – None, and separate washer/dryer will have to be stacked one on top of the other. Either that or take your chance on the combined washer/dryer and risk having damped clothes.
• Utility Room – similar size to the 4-bedder but odd-shaped.
• “Maid’ toilet – Again the door faces the kitchen, consolation is that it is tucked towards the back and thus slightly further away.
• 2 Common Bedrooms – looked to be similar sized and equally bad wardrobe workmanship as the 4-bedder.
• Common Bathroom – Decent size, with similar fittings as the 4-bedder, ugly bathroom sink inclusive.
• Mater Bedroom – Surprisingly large and seemed to be even more spacious than the one in the 4-bedder, with rather generous wardrobe space. The Master Bathroom is decent sized, with 90cm x 30cm marble floors and walls. There is only a standing shower (no tub), and again no rain shower option.
What we like: • Location – Less than 10-minutes drive to CBD and city area, WATERBANK @DAKOTA is made even more convenient with the newly opened Dakota MRT station just 100m away. Good food galore at the Old Airport Road Food Centre across the road, and a choice of amenities in the HDB estate (wet markets, supermarts, clinics etc) and Leisure Park mall nearby.
• Riverfront Living – The Geylang River and Park Connector is right next to WATERBANK @DAKOTA. However, the river is still rather polluted and may emit some “interesting” smell during low tides.
• Cabana Units – These 2-bedders are rather interesting. They give owners the perception of living in “landed” property and comes with dedicated parking (1) underneath your unit. However, the parking space forms part of the unit’s total size. So the actual interior living area is only about 900+sqft, after deducting the parking and PES.
• “Dual-Key” Units – Again, this layout is rather nice. It comes with its own separate “granny flat” but still gives the impression of everyone living in the same household. It is ideal for multi-generation living, as it provides added privacy between you and your parents/in-laws. However, the combined-size of such unit, at 1281sqft, is really too small.
What we dislike: • The quality of furnishings and fittings are quite disappointing. It reminded us of another UOL project we have seen – Meadows @Pierce – and frankly, the memories are not flattering.
• The toilet in the kitchen/yard area for most (if not all) the 3- and 4-bedder units faces directly at the kitchen. Although one should not be too obsessed over Feng Shui, the wife and I will rather err on the safe side.
• Given the long and narrow strip of land that WATERBANK @DAKOTA sits on, we are concerned that the blocks might be too close to each other for comfort. This is especially so for Blocks 70/72 and Block 82/84.
• Dakota Crescent is a rather narrow 2-lane road. When WATERBANK @DAKOTA is ready for occupancy, residents of the 616 units will have to share this road with next-door neighbor Dakota Residences (348 units) and the existing HDB dwellers across the road. It may be a daily exercise in frustration getting in and out of the condo especially during rush hours. So either learn to be patient or brush up on those "swear" vocab.
• Although WATERBANK @DAKOTA is situated very close to Katong and East Coast area, its location classification of District 14 puts it in the "Balestier/Mcpherson/Geylang" district rather than East Coast (D15). It may be a minor point on purchase, but the "district difference" can become quite an issue when you decide to resell your unit later and have to compete with the likes of The Shore or Coralis - both of which are located in the "primer" D15.
• Although the marketing literature said that WATERBANK @DAKOTA is nearby to primary schools like Geylang Methodist and Tanjong Katong Primary, only one primary school is within 1-km to our knowledge – Kong Hwa Primary.
Pricing: • #06-35 (1421sqft, 2-bedroom Cabana): $1.318 million, or $927psf • #03-20 (1527sqft, 4-bedroom Unit): $1.799 million, or $1178psf • #02-17 (1527sqft, 4-bedroom Unit): $1.706 million, or $1117psf
The monthly maintenance for the Cabana is about $300, while for the 4-Bedroom is $350.
As of last Sunday, only units on the low floors (i.e. below 6th) are left. The only high-floor units still available are found in Block 70 - stack #06 (3-bedders) and stack #05 (Dual-Key). But these units either face the HDB flats or have their views blocked by Dakota Residences next door.
In summary, the wife and I are not convinced that WATERBANK @DAKOTA is value for money, given the quality we have observed in the showflats, and the fact that we may have to fight over the 554 parking spaces for our two cars with the other 615 unit owners. However, we seemed to be proven wrong at least 550 times over, given that this is the number of units already sold. But whether is this really an indication of foolishness on our part and wisdom of others, only time will tell.
If only they will get rid of the numerous budget hotels and karaoke bars along Balestier Road as well... 
