Over the next three to five years, Sharjah is expected to witness a significant leap in its resident population numbers, in line with the rapid pace of development of new residential facilities.
In the second part of an overview on Sharjah's retail prospects, Sunil Rao takes a look at some of the developments that will be a feature of the emirate's landscape in years to come. Sunil Rao reports.
A smoothly glittering glass suit on the outside and fully lined with marble on the inside is the Crystal Plaza complex, set to become the latest addition to Sharjah's fast-expanding shopping mall membership list.
"Actually, we are a little more than a mall, for our multi-use complex includes residential areas, offices, entertainment and leisure outlets, food court, landscaped play areas, swimming pools..." noted a spokesman for Zaid Abdul-wahab Al Refai & Brothers, the project promoters.
The three-tower complex - two 17-storey towers for residential apartments, with four apartments per level translating into 136 units, and another 17-tier high-rise offering space for 64 offices - is set to open its doors very shortly, with the residential units already open for rent, and the office tower to be completed in June. The mall itself is also likely to open around that time.
The property commands a scenic panorama of the Buhairah Corniche, standing guard as it does at one end of Khalid Lagoon.
The strategic location, as also the elegantly-appointed complex itself, with interiors that spell quality at every turn, must have cost a pretty penny, but all the spokesman said was: "If a person can afford this place, he'll know it automatically."
He also said later, knocking experimentally on a wood door while showing the place around: "You know, each of these doors must have cost us around Dh2,000." But that was about as far as clues to overall financial outlay went.
The official agreed the project had witnessed several delays in the initial stages, but explained these had been due to changes being instituted in the design and planning.
Responding to talk in some quarters that the project would come up short on one point that is today vital to the success of such complexes in the UAE - namely, shortage of parking space - he responded with: "We have underground parking for 300 vehicles available at the basement level, as also an estimated 11,000 square metres at the ground level around our complex outside. These should meet the demand for parking slots."
He also hinted at other projects running in parallel, both at the private and state levels, that would serve to further augment Crystal Plaza's facilities.
As for the mall itself, the complex is set to house around 250 shops on the ground, mezzanine and first floors. The individual outlets will include a combination of product showrooms, cafes and leisure pastime units, including 'Happy Land' for children.
All at the higher levels will also enjoy a panoramic view, given each tower's octagonal shape, as also fully grassed walkways, swimming-pools, tennis courts and similar facilities constructed at an elevation atop the mall.
"We feel the market for malls is very good in this region, and getting better - and we've obviously put our money where our mouth is," he pointed out.
The target market would be on continuing to attract families, with family-oriented shopping to remain the norm - even as the host of prestigious projects that have mushroomed all over the emirate continue to drive up the demand for land, he added.
He also asserted the close proximity to the Islamic Central Market and a popular branded supermarket, as also its own location at the junction of Al Ittihad Square and King Faisal Street, would serve to ensure project viability and longevity over the long haul, even as the pace picks up in the Sharjah retail sector to capture and retain the captive consumer market share, in a segment increasingly being characterised by quality projects, leaving the customers spoilt for choice.
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