Property Hunter Magazine August Issue 2014 | Page 22

/// Hot Topic Northern Corridor of Kota Kinabalu /// HOT TOPIC Commercial and residential properties are filling up both sides of Jalan Sulaman heading north of the city I f you look at the population growth of suburban Kota Kinabalu over the last decade or so, you will see that a large percentage of it has occurred north of the city. The steady pace of development has transformed the once rustic countryside into clusters of small and medium sized industries and residential areas targeting the lower- and middleincome groups that make up a sizeable number of the population here. Population growth, job growth and development have followed this pathway to the north and 22 www.PropertyHunter.com.my out from the urban core of Kota Kinabalu. While the city centre continues its trajectory of becoming a waterfront city with a host of modern facilities to cater to its financial, service and tourism-related industries, the northern corridor has been earmarked to fulfil its predetermined role as the industrial centre of Kota Kinabalu. Several factors have contributed to the exponential growth of the northern corridor as compared to the southern corridor which had been handpicked for several mega projects that unfortunately did not come to fruition. The relocation and construction of a new international airport and seaport in Kimanis were shelved due to geographical and logistical reasons. The eventual construction of the deep-sea container port at Sepanggar Bay in the northern corridor, coupled with the implementation of one the biggest state-owned industrialisation projects in Sabah would signal a change in strategy and focus in the expansion of the city’s boundaries. A New Age Of Industrialisation And Development The 8,320 acre Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) was launched in 1995 and has played a pivotal role in the development of the northern corridor. As of 2013, it has been reported that around 6,300 job opportunities have been created from a total of 232 factories and plants that are operating in the area. Investment value in various industry clusters, mainly small and medium industries (SMIs), has already breached the RM2 billion mark and the spill-over effect has created a convincing uptrend in the development of residential properties, retail shops, food and beverage outlets, finance services and other business activities to meet the demands of the increased populace in the area.