Riverside Living at Kallang Riverside
This review is a continuation of my series where I try to find condos in Singapore that are right next to a park. My journey this time brings me to Kallang Riverside. The exciting thing about Kallang Riverside is that there are more than just greenery in your living room. Depending on the unit facing and level, you can either get a beautiful city view or an incredible panorama of the Kallang Basin.
Introduction to Kallang Riverside
The developer behind Kallang Riverside is the transportation company Singapore-Johore Express (Pte) Ltd. This company is more well-known for providing bus services to transport passengers from Singapore to Malaysia instead of developing real estate. Although this developer is not as famous as the bigger boys in the market, they do have track records of developing residential properties. The developmental arm is via the sister company Melodies-Limited. Previous developments include Cassia View and Riverside Melodies.
Before Kallang Riverside, the former building was a 7th storey office admin block for the bus company. With new changes in zoning and a higher plot ratio, it suddenly made a lot of sense for redevelopment. Similar to that of an enbloc sale. Instead of selling it to a developer, the owner is now the one redeveloping it.
Location of Kallang Riverside
Kallang Riverside is a 212-unit residential development located at Kampong Bugis. In addition to the residential units, there are also seven commercial shops on the ground level, which are accessible by the public. The shops are not for sale and only available for lease. The main objective is to control the tenant mix to give residents a better experience and elevate the value of the development. At the time of this writing, a bakery will be opening very soon.
Shops On Ground Floor Of Kallang Riverside
Trellis For Possible Future Al Fresco Dining
In terms of public transportation, the closest MRT station is Lavender, and there are several ways to get there. The most obvious and direct path is via Kampong Bugis Road, which happens to be the only vehicular road to the development. Alternatively, you can also use the park connectors on either side of the riverbank of the Rochor Canal as well. I believe most residents use the park connectors as it will give you an incredible view of the scenery, whether going to work or back home.
Scenery Along The Park Connector
In addition to the lovely view, walking along the park connectors will also bring you to Kallang Riverside Park. Within this park, there is a tall, pale blue metal frame known as a gas holder structure. This conserved building is a reminder of Kallang’s gasworks history. The gas holder structure is something like an external skeleton that houses the gasholder. The gas holder, in turn, is a cylindrical shaped vessel that contains all the gases generated from coal — a vital fuel source to power street lamps in Singapore in the past.
Kallang Riverside Park
View Of The Kallang Basin From The Park
Gas Holder Structure
Gas Holder Structure. Made In England
Kallang being near the coastline was an ideal location for the gasworks as it allows easy unloading of coals from ships. The primary raw material to produce this gas.
The Single Most Important Attribute of Kallang Riverside
Kallang Riverside happens to be the only condo in Singapore which is directly in front of the Rochor canal and Kallang River confluence. A geographic feature where two bodies of water collide. This unique shape of the land creates a mini peninsula from “mainland Singapore”. Making the locale of Kallang Riverside a quiet urban oasis but a stone’s throw away from the city centre.
Kallang River
Rochor Canal
Main Facility Deck On The 24th Storey
Although Kallang Riverside has the benefits of the unique traits of this geographical location. The differential unit facing also meant that some residents might not be able to enjoy the spectacular view. To this end, the developer came up with a cantilevered swimming pool on the 24th floor facing the Kallang Basin. This facility allows residents from all levels to enjoy the incredible panoramic view. A combination of the cityscape, river and even the sea all at once. Creating an experience that is perhaps even better than the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands. For those looking to add another perfect photo to their Instagram account, this is it.
View From Cantilivered Pool Facing MBS
View From Cantilevered Pool Facing National Stadium
Even though the photos already look incredible, nothing beats the feeling of physically being there. The scenery is fluid with the wheels of the Singapore flyer turning in the background, dragon boaters rowing across the waterscape and the tiny little cars moving along the East Coast Parkway. Furthermore, there is always a breeze running across your face as you soak in the sights and sounds.
Other than the swimming pool, there are other facilities on the 24th floor. The whole level is catered to nourish your mind, body and soul with the provision of an open-air gym, yoga deck and changing rooms with sauna. There is also a viewing deck that allows you to enjoy the view of the northern part of the island. Due to the distance away from the “mainland”, you will notice that there is a horizon in the skyline. A commodity that is rarely seen in this densely populated island.
Open Air Gym
Water Feature On The 24th Floor
Other Facilities On 2nd, 5th and 6th Storey
While the main facilities on the 24th floor are already impressive enough, the others are on different levels. This distribution allows residents to explore other levels and prevent any overcrowding.
For those hosting birthday parties and meetups, everything you need is on the 2nd floor. The function room, BBQ area and the children’s playground are all located here. There is also an activities platform, a wide-open space with some water features. Reinforcing a sense of spaciousness at Kallang Riverside.
Children’s Playground
Children’s Water Play Area
Landscaping On 2nd Floor
BBQ Area
There is also a tennis court on the 5th floor to give residents a full condo experience.
Tennis Court
Open Deck Beside Tennis Court
Unit layout and Facing
At the point of writing this review, there aren’t many units available at Kallang Riverside. As such, I will only be writing on the layouts of these remaining units.
1 Bedroom
Most of the remaining units of the one-bedroom at Kallang Riverside are of the Type A layout with a size of 48sqm. In terms of directional facing, all the one-bedroom are facing the north and have a city view. The type 1A layout is more like a studio design with optional segregation from the living and bedroom area via a retractable screen door. In terms of privacy, the main entrance of the house does not open into the unit where you can see the living room in its entirety. Instead, you will be greeted by a small foyer area that hides the apartment interior from the outside. As with all small bedroom unit type of this size, the kitchenette houses everything sufficient to cook a small meal. Ideal for expats or singles looking at a low maintenance home.
The other one bedroom that is available has a massive size of 77sqm. It also happens to be the layout with one of the largest bedroom sizes in the entire development. With some proper planning, I believe it is possible to create another room within this configuration. This configuration is only available at lower levels and gives you a view of greenery right in your living room.
2 Bedroom + Study
The two bedrooms plus study is significantly larger than the one-bedroom at 96sqm. The space difference goes into a u-shaped kitchen, incredibly spacious master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and a study area. This layout is ideal for those who spend a significant amount of time working at home. Or those who require a storage area for displaying trophies or an entire wine collection. At 96sqm, it is also one of the largest two sized 2-bedroom layouts in today’s market.
Living Room(2 Bedroom + Study)
Kitchen(2 Bedroom + Study)
Study Area(2 Bedroom + Study)
Master bedroom(2 Bedroom + Study)
Common Room(2 Bedroom + Study)
3 Bedroom Dual Key
The last 3-bedroom dual-key unit is on the 3rd floor with a view of the greenery with the background of the Kallang River behind it. The master bedroom itself is sizeable enough to be a self-contained unit. Bedrooms of these sizes in the first-hand market are incredibly rare and allow buyers to create their dressing rooms.
Greenery View From The Living Room Of The 3 Bedroom Dual Key
Penthouse
Of the three penthouses in the entire development, two are still available. However, they are not for sale at this point. At 223 and 325 sqm, it is luxury on a single floor plate with dual views of both the north and south. If you are eyeing for this trophy home, do contact us so that you will be first to know when it is available.
Addressing the Elephant in The Room. Are the Views Temporary?
Kallang Riverside is surrounding by vast plots of empty land. So, the question is this. Are the majestic views temporary? Will they disappear?
The Singapore URA master plan is one of the best ways to understand future developments in that zoning. From the master map, you will be able to know if a piece of greenery will remain the same or transform into another high-rise apartment. The snapshot of the Kallang Riverside URA master planning shows that the land surrounding it is slated for redevelopment. The current Kallang Riverside Park will extend, connecting Lavender to the National Stadium. This connection creates a continuous green path that links the east and west while housing the new developments within this matrix.
Source: URA Master Plan
Upcoming developments are White Sites
While there are changes to the park, there are also empty pockets for future redevelopment. According to master planning, these are white sites. White sites are flexible in usage and can vary from commercial, hotel, residential, sports and recreation or other uses. Sometimes, there is even a combination of two or more applications.
Although there is an empty plot in front of Kallang Riverside facing the Kallang Basin, there is no information on the plot ratio. The plot ratio is important because it will give you an idea or how tall the next development is going to be. From the current 2019 planning, it is not possible to tell if the future building is tall enough to block the view from Kallang Riverside.
However, because of the white site planning, there is a possibility that Kallang Riverside will be the only residential development here in the future. Even if it is not the only one, it will be the only one that is freehold.
Designated Activity Generated Uses In The Kallang Park Locale. Source: URA Master Plan
Is Kallang Riverside A Good Buy?
One of the benchmarks to understand if something is a good buy are the rental prices. Due to the limited supply of units at Kallang Riverside, units are rented out reasonably quickly. Rental rates range from $4 to almost $6psf. I will use some of the recent transactions for a quick comparison. The 1-bedroom data is more accurate because there are high floor rental transactions to compare with the currently available units for sale. There is no similar comparison for the two bedrooms + study rentals. I have included the data for only these 2 unit types because they are the most straightforward for comparison purposes. There is no benchmark for the three bedrooms dual key.
| Unit Type | Transacted Rental Prices | Property Price | Gross Annual Yield | Initial Investment (25% + Stamp Duty) | Gross Annual Yield On Initial Investment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bedroom (517sqft) | $3000 (8th August 2019-16th to 18th Floor) $3000 (1st July 2019-22nd to 24th Floor) | $1,463,765 (#26-04) | 2.46% | $409,091 | 8.8% |
| 2 Bedroom + Study (1033sqft) | $3900 (24th May 2019-10th to 12th Floor) $4000 (12th March 2019-13th to 15th Floor) $4200 (11th March 2019-7th to 9th Floor) Average $4033. | $2,580,694 (#29-05) | 1.88% | $733,000 | 6.6% |
Like most freehold properties, the rental yield tends to be lower than their leasehold properties. Kallang Riverside is no exception. If your main objective is purely on the rental yield, then there may be other properties that fetch a better return.
Summary
However, if you are looking at something quiet, filled with greenery and water bodies all around. And yet a stone’s throw away to the city centre, Kallang Riverside is the one for you. Most importantly, this condo comes with a lifetime experience of swimming in a pool against the backdrop of Singapore’s skyline. If you need to understand more on Kallang Riverside with regards to prices, availability and floor plans, visit our microsite at
https://www.kallangriverside.cos.sg
While we can’t predict the future, there are some lessons we can learn from the past. To understand the impact of how prices are affected when surroundings change, we do have some historical data to share. If you are keen to understand more, fill in the contact form, and we will get back to you shortly.
Article contributed by Jerry Wong
Jerry Wong is a versatile professional, serving as a realtor at Propnex Realty and contributing his interior designer expertise at the award-winning ProjectGuru. With accolades in both realms, Jerry’s passions extend beyond his work, with his greatest joy in facilitating connections between individuals and properties, deriving immense satisfaction from helping clients achieve their goals.
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