Dubai Festival City, the Middle East's largest privately funded development, has unveiled its Dh1.4 billion Hillside Community residential project a 36 hectare village of Arabian-style homes on a man-made hill in the heart of the site.
With over 900 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and 400 three- and four-bedroom townhomes, Hillside Community is planned to create a terraced Arabian-style "village" on a 25-metre-high man-made hill overlooking the Dubai Creek.
Phil McArthur, Dubai Festival City's director for leasing and marketing, said, "Hillside Community is an important addition to Dubai Festival City's residential portfolio. It will deliver a unique community atmosphere which will seamlessly blend stunning design with tranquility to create one of the region's most desirable living environments."
Designed by French architect and town planner Xavier Bohl, the first phase, which will include 180 apartments, is expected to be ready by October 2006. The remaining 1,100 units will be rolled out in subsequent phases over a two-to-three year schedule.
In total, over 7,000 people are expected to live in it.
The Hillside Community apartments will be divided into 37 condo style buildings ranging from seven to 10 storeys with views of the sweeping banks of the Creek, Dubai Festival City's 18-hole Al Badia Championship golf course and its centrepiece, Festival Centre a 2.6 million square foot hospitality, leisure, entertainment and retail destination which backdrops the 150-berth Festival Marina.
"Work on the first phase of apartments is expected to commence shortly and we are currently in negotiations with a number of reputed contractors," said McArthur.
Logistically, the creation of the hill, which is nearing completion, has been a massive undertaking and has seen over 2.5 million cubic metres of fill material, which is being relocated from the excavation site for the ongoing expansion of Dubai International Airport.
