1st phase of Damosa Land's Agriya starts this year

THE first phase of Agriya, a modern agricultural metropolis (agropolis) project in Panabo City by Damosa Land, Inc., is targeted to kick off by the end of the second quarter as said by an executive.

Agriya, which is pegged to be around P1 billion, is an 88-hectare mixed-use development to be comprised of residential, commercial, tourism, and institutional establishments.

Ricardo Floirendo Lagdameo, vice president of Damosa Land, Inc. said during the weekly press forum at Habi at Kape, Abreeza Ayala Malls, that they are targeting to develop the 30-hectare area by the end of the second quarter until the start of the third quarter this year.

“We won’t be developing that in one shot. This is really a long-term project. Something that will be developed over the next seven to 10 years,” said Lagdameo.

Included in the first phase of the development is the construction of the University of the Philippines Professional School for Agriculture and the Environment.

“We are hoping that by 2018, they will already kick off with their first batch,” said Lagdameo. He added they already signed a memorandum of agreement with the university January of this year.

Aside from the area of the school, the first phase will also concentrate on the construction of the residential development and small commercial establishments that will cater to the school and the rest of the metro subdivision.

“We also have an agri-tourism component that we will be putting inside the development. The intention is to not put BPO buildings and high rises. We will be really mindful of the environment. We want to make use as much of the natural landscape,” he added.

With the creation of Agriya, the company eyes to embrace and capitalize on the agricultural heritage of Panabo City. Agriya is being envisioned to be the first agri-tourism city in the country.

New shops to open in Abreeza

New shops are set to open at the Abreeza Ayala Mall in the coming months, an executive said.

During the weekly forum at Habi at Kape Wednesday, March 8, Accendo Commercial Corporation general manager Luigi Escano said, with the 95 percent occupancy rate of the mall, they are still expecting new stores to open within the year.

Calliope, an Italian fashion brand is included in the stores to be opened. Penguin Clothing, also a fashion brand which had previously opened in the mall will be relocated to the first floor.

Escano said they will be opening the first Lego Store in Davao City, which just started as a small concept space displaying items in the first floor of the mall.

An NBA store will also open which Escano said will surely excite the basketball fans as it is the first NBA store in Davao City.

“The NBA store will surely complement the passion of basketball fans especially in the region,” he said.

Gilligan’s Restaurant will also be opening a second branch in the mall.

The Cambridge Child Development Care, the first academic institution in Abreeza properties will also open within the first quarter of the year.

“Right now, the mall is around 95 percent occupied. Leased out is about 98 percent, the rest are constructing and developing. We expect these are going to open in the coming months,” said Escano, adding they target a hundred percent occupancy by the end of 2017.

“We hope to bring in more exciting brands as Davao is the hotspot right now. We want to take advantage of that,” he added.

Asked about the expansion plans of Abreeza Ayala Malls, Escano said the management is already studying it with the appetite for new store concepts more particularly with the dining area of the mall as food is still one of the most in-demand areas.