Town benefits from upcoming development projects

25 February 2011 , By The Star

Kulaijaya is expected to thrive within the next five years as major development projects will liven the district, said Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

He said among the projects expected to be implemented were Cyber City, Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) and Bandar Baru Senai.

Abdul Ghani added the JPO — a shopping complex with major brands and goods — is expected to be a hit among the locals and international tourists.

“JPO is expected to be completed by the end of this year and more than 1.4mil people are expected to visit when it opens,” he said.

“This shows the area is facing major development every day,” he said, adding the major investment would not only change the landscape of the area but also the people would face better economic opportunities.

Abdul Ghani said the projects would also change the lifestyle of the people living within the district.

“Such projects would bring plenty of job opportunities among the locals especially those living within the district,” he said.

He reminded the district officer and Kulaijaya Municipal Council (MPKu) to keep the area clean and make sure there were good infrastructure made available to investors.

Abdul Ghani said by having good infrastructure and keeping the area clean, it would attract more investors to come into Kulaijaya.

The JPO project is a 50-50 joint venture between Genting’s 54.6% owned subsidiary Genting Plantations Bhd and Premium Outlets, a division of US-based Simon Property Group.

The RM149mil outlet with 330,000 sq ft built up area on a 17.8ha site, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

There are 52 such outlets in the United States, Mexico, Japan and South Korea.