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Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila has identified urban redevelopment as a
priority of his second term. He explained that the establishment of
new business areas like the redeveloped San Lazaro property would
revitalize the entire city and would bring him closer to achieving
his vision of creating a “financially, ecologically and socially
vibrant” City of Manila.
He noted that the city and its residents will
benefit “as property valuation in San Lazaro increases as [more
establishments] locate there.” Outside San Lazaro, Mayor Lim
pointed out the Baywalk and the Harbor areas as districts that have
profited from renewal efforts. “Certainly the facelifts have
attracted more tourists and residents in the area, thereby promoting
business ventures,” Lim stated. Additional revenues to the
city’s coffers will be earmarked for more services to Manila
residents, he said.
Expected to heighten business and commercial
activity in the one-hectare San Lazaro property, once the site of
daily horse races, is the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) complex
located on Felix Huertas corner Yuseco Street being jointly
developed by Ayala Land Businesscapes, a business unit of giant
property developer Ayala Land Inc., and the Manila Jockey Club Inc.
of the Reyno family. The complex will have two BPO office towers
that will house call centers, IT-related enterprises and other
offices, according to Marivic Añonuevo, Ayala Land Inc. senior vice
president and group head of Ayala Land Businesscapes.
A series of residential condominium and
townhouse developments by Ayala Land subsidiaries, Community
Innovations Inc. and Avida, offering a range of units plus the array
of restaurants, retail and other services offered by the adjoining
SM San Lazaro mall, will complement the forward-looking office
towers and turn the complex into a self-contained commercial and
residential area.
Designed for 24/7 operations, the two office
towers will serve as a magnet for robustly-growing BPO firms seeking
to tap the rich labor pool in the area. The towers set for
completion in fourth quarter 2008 and fourth quarter 2010 are within
walking distance of the University of Sto. Tomas and Chiang Kai Shek
College and within commuting distance of the University Belt.
According to Lim, proceeds from the business and
tourist areas will be channeled to low-cost housing complexes. These
will be in: Anak Bayan, Santibañez, Arroceros, Vito Cruz-Maytubig
and Vito Cruz-Balagtas, he said.
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