THE skyline of Davao City 10 years ago can be characterized by a mix of mid-rise and low-rise buildings with 18-storey Marco Polo Hotel Davao being the tallest back then.
A few years later, Pryce Tower and Landco Pacific Building at the Pryce Business Park were established adding to the changes in the skyline of the city.
In the past four to five years, more mid-rise buildings, mostly of which were residentials, began to rise and continue to change Davao City's landscape.
However, in the coming years, Dabawenyos can expect the skyline of Davao City to drastically change once the high-rise projects of large property developers are completed.
Evidently, among the first tall buildings that will dominate the skyline of the city are the Abreeza Place and Abreeza Residences, which are projects of Alveo Land in partnership with Accendo Commercial Corp. Both buildings are nearing completion.
Another set of high-rise towers that are also under construction are the Avida Towers Davao, along C.M. Recto Ave. (Claveria) of Avida Land, in partnership with Avencosouth Corp.
When you pass by the area, you can see the busy construction workers working together to put up the building.
Up north, property giant Megaworld is also pouring P15 million for the development of the Davao Park District, a joint venture modern township project with the Dakudao Family, in an 11-hectare (ha.) property in Lanang that will feature residential condominiums, business process outsourcing centers and commercial centers.
The first structure to rise in the area is the P1.2-billion 16-storey steel and glass Davao Finance Center (DFC), which is expected to be Mindanao's first world-class facility for business process outsourcing (ICT-BPO) industry. It is targeted to be completed by 2016.
Suntrust Properties Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Megaworld, is also constructing the One Lakeshore Drive, a four-tower residential condominium cluster that will rise at the 7.2 hectares residential area of DPD, in 2016. Each tower will be 21-storey high.
These are just some of the projects being developed by Manila-based property developers though there are also those that are currently being developed like the 33 storey Aeon Towers of the FTC Group of Companies Corp. while Felcris Hotels and Resorts Corp. (FHRC) is set to construct three 38-storey tower condominiums at Felcris Centrale.
Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC) officer-in-charge Ivan C. Cortez said the construction boom due to the entry of these projects is an indicator of a strong economic activity in the city.
He said that business activities brought about by the construction boom will attract other investors who would want to grab the opportunity to invest in Davao City.
Cortez said the strong growth of real property development in Davao City was triggered by the entry of property developers who invested in the city early like Sta. Lucia Land Inc. and Ayala Land. Other developers came in after them.
For his part, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) president Antonio T. dela Cruz said the changing landscape of Davao City could also be attributed to the local government unit's (LGU) efficiency in running the city.
"Businessmen really believe in the LGU and at the same time they have seen Davao, as far as Mindanao is concerned, the regional center," he said, adding that the growth of the city has also attracted investors.
"Indeed investors keep on coming to Davao and there will be a continuous change in landscape because we will now see high rise buildings," dela Cruz added.