Maluri in Cheras is probably the suburb closest to KL’s Golden Triangle. Previously dedicated to government quarters and dense residential areas from the 1960s, Maluri also housed JKR workshops and depots as well as the government printer on Jalan Peel/Cochrane.
Small businesses like car workshops and family restaurants emerged slowly within the housing areas interspersed with small commercial centres, a few malls and a smattering of high-rises which are mainly old apartments.
Today, the Jalan Peel-Cochrane area is primed to become KL’s new residential and lifestyle hub. The revitalization of Jalan Peel/Cochrane and the adjoining areas started with the introduction of mixed-use developments which have given a new exciting frontage to the area.
Leading this is Sunway Bhd, whose 23-acre Sunway Velocity offers an integrated development with residences, shopping mall, hotel, medical centre, offices shops and a two-acre park. Another big investor here is Boustead Holdings Bhd and Ikano Pte Ltd, with MYTown, an 18-acre family and lifestyle shopping centre anchored by the largest IKEA in Malaysia. These developments are spurring real estate values in this part of Cheras and its surrounding areas.
Maluri is already quite reachable with existing public transport like LRTs and busses. With the upcoming MRT lines and new road network, the folks of Maluri are about to find it easier to move around given the vastness of the housing area. This is also partly the reason landed-home owners are hanging on to their properties – numerous access points coupled with short distance to the city centre.
The Cochrane and Maluri MRT stations are located within 300 meters from each other to serve the IKEA, MyTown, Sunway Velocity and Taman Maluri crowds. These MRT stations are also near to the existing Maluri LRT station, therefore this will enhance Maluri’s connectivity even further. Other MRT stations serving densely-populated areas in Cheras include Taman Pertama, Taman Midah, Taman Mutiara and Taman Connaught.
Several roads near Maluri have also been upgraded. The opening of the new Besraya Eastern Extension Expressway (BEE) has effectively linked areas such as Serdang with Cheras and Pandan.
Maluri’s expansion is partially due to accommodate the spill-over demand for residences in the Cochrane/Cheras area from the capital’s upcoming financial and business district, TRX, which is a stone’s throw away.
High-rise developments are also expected to do well with a boost by the new MRT lines. Complemented with new malls including IKEA, MyTOWN and Velocity, this new Maluri is the retail hub that caters to the majority of the KL public. Now with a gleaming reputation, sufficient public facilities, new lifestyle developments as well as MRT services, Maluri is expected to attract more attention from investor and consumer alike.
Urban regeneration in places that used to be low-end commercial and residential areas like Imbi, Pudu and Maluri are steadily changing the face of KL. In few years’ time, KL will have had a major facelift with high-end residences in BBCC Pudu, transit-oriented-development within Maluri, and an international financial district in TRX nearby.
