LANDCO Pacific Corp. is building a 24-hectare leisure estate which will feature a mix of residential-commercial lots, a condotel, and tourist hubs in Laiya, Batangas.
“We want to introduce Club Laiya and hopefully put Laiya on the map, on the level of Boracay, so that it becomes top of mind for people who want to invest or come for a quick vacation. Let it be the destination on their lists,” said Landco’s vice-president for marketing Gerard “Gibby” F. Peñaflor at a media briefing on Sept. 14.
Located in San Juan, Batangas, two hours away from Metro Manila via the South Luzon Expressway, the work-in-progress resort community of Club Laiya is already attracting tourists with its glamping-style poolside Cocoons near the beach.
“[Laiya] was already known back in the ’90s, but to get here, the entire stretch leading to the resorts was all rough roads, over an hour’s travel,” Mr. Peñaflor told BusinessWorld.
“Now, everything has changed. It became a priority area for tourist development and the roads are now developed.”
Plaza Laiya, a community plaza, will serve as Club Laiya’s gathering point for local events, surrounded by retail and dining outlets and spaces filled with trees and greenery, similar in concept to Bonifacio High Street in Bonifacio Global City.
The Seaside District will be a beach community of homes and businesses, made up of 106 residential-commercial lots with an average size of 300 to 3,000 square meters (sq.m.). This district will be closest to the white sands of Laiya beach.
The Upper West Side District will be an inland gated community with mountain views. Its 190 lots, with an average size of 300 sq.m., will each have exclusive access to a nearly half-kilometer swimming pool and urbanized forest trail around its perimeter.
Mr. Peñaflor explained that investors and property owners will have free rein to transform their residential-commercial properties, whether into a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, or a resort wear boutique.
“If you want to maximize your unit, it can even be enrolled as part of the rental pool that our resort will manage,” he added.
Finally, the Spinnaker, shaped like the special boat sail for which it is named, will be a 20-storey medium-rise beachfront condominium with terraced levels and beachfront cuts that have an unimpeded view of the beach and ocean.
Though it’s still in the beginning stages of construction, Landco hopes to start selling before the end of the year. More information on the units will be released in October.
The development is located with under-30-minute access to hospitals, schools, shopping outlets, and recreational sites like Laiya Adventure Park and Mount Dagulgol.
It’s also eco-friendly, its sustainability program registered with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The entire estate has wastewater treatment, where the treated water is piped back for washing cars, watering plants, and other uses. The surrounding rivers and forests are also the focus of environmental conservation efforts.
Every lot is accessible to the beach via tree-lined walkways, pedestrian routes, bicycle lanes, and a promenade. There will be Wi-Fi for a “work from the beach” set-up, 24/7 security monitoring in public areas, and slipway for small boats and jet skis.
“You can build a house and a restaurant and recover some of the investment. You’ll have a beach property to go to every weekend, but you can also rent it out or maybe pass it on to the next generation,” said Mr. Peñaflor.
“There’s much potential for property appreciation.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana
