KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — As many as 100 affordable home units will be provided for free to the original longhouse residents in Taman Rimba Kiara, while its second generation can purchase a home for half the estimated market price value, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan chief executive officer (CEO) Zaizalnizam Zainun said today.
Zaizalnizam was referring to residents who settled in the area 36 years ago and their descendants (second generation) while showing reporters the proposed plans for a scaled-down Taman Rimba Kiara condominium development.
“100 affordable home units will be given for free to the original residents; 100 more second generation (residents) will receive (the homes) at a price that is 50 per cent more affordable that their market price,” he said.
These affordable homes will be built at the same time as the first phase of the condominium development as it would involve cross subsidy.
“When the affordable homes have completed construction, then only will the longhouse residents move there,” Zaizalnizam said, asserting that the residents will not be asked to move before then.
He indicated that the second phase of the condominium development will only commence once the affordable homes have been completed, adding that this was the agreement that was achieved with the longhouse residents.
Regarding the development plans which had been scaled back from its original 12 acres to eight acres, Zaizalnizam said the affordable home units would comprise a 17-storey building, in a two-acre area near the Sri Maha Mariamman temple, while the condominium development takes place on a six-acre land.
The 200 affordable home units would be adequate to provide new housing for the longhouse residents, he later told Malay Mail.
As for the four acres that had been given up, Zaizalnizam said his side intended to upgrade its existing parking facilities and provide additional greenery there.
Also present were about 15 longhouse residents, with one of them, who identified himself as “Ravi” saying: “We are only asking for mampu milik (affordable) houses, which was supposed to be given to us a long time ago.”
“[...] Actually there’s no obstruction at all (to this project). There’s only a few third-party people who are involving (themselves) to stop this project,” he added.
Developers’ plans to develop Taman Rimba Kiara, one of the city’s last green lungs, had received criticism from certain residents and residents’ associations, with Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh and rights group Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) yesterday calling for the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to scrutinise the project.
