Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has started the development of Circuit Makati City, its P20-billion entertainment district in the city, which is set to be partially completed in 2016.

ALI President and Chief Executive Officer Antonino Aquino said in a briefing on Friday that the development of Circuit Makati has started and the completion of phase 1, which covers the 90 percent of the project, will be around 2016.

He noted that in 2016, 90 percent of the area will be developed although the P20 billion covers the five-year period target for the project.

Circuit Makati is considered as the sixth node of the different nodes of project that ALI is going to develop, which has a total investment cost of P60 billion for all the nodes.

“This is a fairly large development, it is 21 hectares integrated mixed use development, and this is so much different from other entertainment venues in the country,” Aquino said.

Circuit Makati includes a 1,500-seat theatre, a football turf of international size, two-hectare events grounds, hotels, offices, malls, and residential structures.

The development will feature the Circuit Theatre and the Circuit Lane, which will feature an interactive walk with a multipurpose black box for more shows, recitals, workshops and even parties.

Circuit Event Grounds, meanwhile, will be a venue for various types of events such as concerts, dance and theatre performances, fashion shows, exhibits as well as outdoor sporting events such as football.

Alveo Land Inc., an ALI unit, will be the initial developer for residential component in the area. Robert Lao, president of Alveo Land, said February is the month when they will launch their project in the area, which has an approximate investment cost of P2.5 billion.

For the hotel component, Junie Jalandoni, president of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts, said that a Seda brand hotel in Circuit Makati, which has a project cost of P1.5 billion to P2 billion, will be up and running in 2016.

Circuit Makati is an ALI development in partnership with with Philippine Racing Club group, which still owns the property or land area of the five-year project.

But Aquino said that the planning, development, construction and the P20-billion investment are all with ALI.

“In the past, the race track has provided entertainment for generations of horse-racing aficionados.|

Now, Ayala Land intends to preserve the district’s entertainment equity by bringing in a multi-faceted form of entertainment, one that is both interactive and world-class,” Meean Dy, head of ALI Strategic Landbank Management Group head, said.