Nothing excites us more than the feeling of coming home. No matter your age, profession, or where you have been in life, going back to a place where you once invested relationships and memories would always fill you with anticipation. Take for example those who grew up in such a storied destination as Bacolod City.
Known for its people’s warm nature and the colorful Masskara Festival, Bacolod City’s allure continues to captivate the hearts of Filipinos from all over the world, particularly those who used to call it home. Those who grew up loving the city’s local delicacies and decades-old attractions can look forward to enjoying the nostalgia and, more important, taking part in the city’s transformation.
Among the most exciting developments coming to the “City of Smiles” is the transformation of the former Bacolod-Murcia Sugar Milling Company district into a 34-hectare New York-inspired township development by Megaworld Corporation dubbed as “The Upper East.”
Exciting transformation
Rising as the city’s first master planned mixed-use community, The Upper East is near the Bacolod City Government Center. It will be home to residential condominiums, malls and commercial centers, mixed-use buildings, state-of-the-art office towers, and hotels.
It will also feature its own transport hub, church, green and open parks, and a central plaza featuring urban art installations.
Future residents of the township would love the privilege of enjoying an urban environment, while still being surrounded by nature inside the township—a sought-after component by most urban dwellers, especially in the age of the pandemic.
“We are excited to see the beautiful transformation of this side of Bacolod gradually coming to fruition. Bacolodnons who enjoy success from all over the world, especially those who spent their childhood here at the sugar mill with their families, can now go full circle and relive their memories as they come home and create new legacies at The Upper East,” says Jennifer Ann Palmares-Fong, vice president for sales and marketing, Megaworld Bacolod.
Highlighting the township is a 30-meter-wide, six-lane Upper East Avenue that stretches for around one kilometer, and connects Lopez Jaena Street to the Circumferential Road. Other roads inside the township will be at least 20 meter wide.
‘First-in-Bacolod’ amenities
Following the success of Two Regis—the second residential condominium tower inside The Upper East—is the 14-story One Manhattan.
One Manhattan boasts of a variety of “first-in-Bacolod” amenities, such as a wall climbing facility, putting green, mini track oval with gym, and outdoor Jacuzzi at the second level amenity deck, and an exclusive bar and lounge at the tower’s roofdeck, overlooking Bacolod’s cityscape, the Negros mountains in the east, and the sunset on Guimaras Strait in the west.
On top of these, the tower will also have its own private dining room, adult and kiddie pools, pool deck with an outdoor shower area, game and entertainment room, function hall, reading nooks, outdoor seating areas, and an outdoor children’s play area.
The entire amenity deck, as well as the main lobby, will be powered with WiFi Internet access for the convenience of residents.
Located at the corner of Manhattan and Lexington Streets, One Manhattan offers 260 units ranging from studio (up to 33 square meters), one bedroom (up to 85 square meters), two bedrooms (up to 112 square meters), and three bedrooms (up to 153 square meters). The one, two, and three-bedroom units have various layout choices, including bi-level garden units, as well as loft units with either lanai or balcony.
“This is our first residential development in Bacolod with more generous unit layouts and sizes, as well as generous unique amenities. Our loft units are the first of their kind because we hope to give the best for Bacolod,” says Palmares-Fong.
The new residential tower will have two levels of basement parking facilities, with its own drivers’ lounge at Basement 1.
Since the launch of the first residential condominium development in The Upper East in 2018, prices of condo units in the township have appreciated by 40 percent.
Indeed, coming home and seeing a booming transformation in an address so dear to you has never been this exciting.