Zon-E @ Fraser Business Park
by Lim

Introduction
It has been hailed as the largest ICT Hub in Malaysia. Just recently, another part of it, the BXB (Ban-Xan-Ba) has been open for lease. This is the Fraser Business Park, the new business and ICT district in Pudu, also the one-stop haven for a wide range of IT products and services, plus lifestyle and innovations. The project has a gross development value of RM350 million, which is bounded to be complete in the second quarter of Year 2010. The project consists of the following: The ICT Hub of 90,000 sq. ft.; the Help University College with hostel complex (222,000 sq. ft.0, serviced apartments, the 517-rooms e-Hotel, about 800 more units of retail entertainment space, hypermarket, food court and outlets and 1,800 parking lots. Currently, there are limited Freehold units for sale in the project. Price range is about RM 3,500,000 - RM10,000,000.00 per unit, about RM 494.07 per sq. ft. depending on type, size and location.

Location: Busiest roads in KL
Zon-E @ Fraser Business Park is located in the Old District Pudu. Its location is along the crisscrossing of Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Loke Yew, Jalan Cheras and Jalan Chan Sow Lin. It stretches along the Sri Petaling Line LRT, where the Chan Sow Lin station is nearest-within walking distances. Its nearest landmark is the Jabatan Kerja Raya of KL. It is quite near to the older parts of Pudu, where it has been an established residential and commercial area, thought it is also within driving distances (about 20 mins or more) to KL City Center.

Developer
In charge of the Frasers Business Park is Brampton Holdings Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of the FN Properties - part of the Fraser and Neave Holdings Bhd. To the general public, F&N is more well-known for its manufactured products and beverage. However, FN Properties also have a strong reputation in the property field as well. The Zon-E Fraser Business Park Project has recently been awarded the ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Awards by the ASEN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO), which is announced at the 24th Conference of ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations. As a developer, FN Properties had emphasized on innovative technical design and applications, ensuring a comfortable environment and lifestyle, maintaining its social responsibility to citizens and society. Its other projects include the Ampang Hilir 233.

Being the Center of Attention
For a commercial and ICT hub, I can say that the Fraser Business Park has quite a good location. A big plus point, it is a short distance from the main city - KL, and its surroundings are already established (mostly commercial) area. It is also one of the very first few new offices with new facilities around, thus taking up the spotlight.

It is a location accessible to everyone from almost everywhere, being at the crisscross of Jalan Loke Yew, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Cheras and Jalan Chan Sow Lin - popular busy streets that lead through KL city center.

Not to mention, there are already a few government departments (e.g. JKR) and a few service providers (Telekom) had taken root in its area, or nearby it. And lastly the HELP University College that will be part of it. This gives it a boost when it comes to customer flow. Nearby basic amenities are also available, adding points for convenience.

Image wise, the overall structure itself has an air of clean cut and innovative design, as well as the air of fortune and prosperity, with the red-lined designs that seem to appear in Chinese characters with auspicious meaning - attractive to most Asian investors.

High Cost
While it is undeniable that the image and the location of the project are worth the investment, some of the units can cost quite high. As for investors with a long-term plan in mind, they will be slightly disappointed since only limited units are freehold tenures; mostly being leasehold, at the moment. Traffic congestion might be a slight problem, but it is expected, especially in this area.

Conclusion
For investors, especially those on ICT business, the strategic location should be worth a thought, but this can be a costly investment, and thus, serious research and preparation should be taken into consideration before pouring in the finance.