Ayala Land, Inc. is counting on a wave of major transport and road infrastructure projects to drive demand for its Arca South estate in Taguig City, as the developer begins handing over units at its Gardencourt Residences project.

“This level of connectivity, this number of mass transit connections, this direct link to the Metro Manila Skyway, these are connectivity points that I think a lot of estates would only dream of,” Jaime Zobel Urquijo, group head for urban estates at Ayala Land, told a news briefing on Oct. 23.

According to Mr. Urquijo, the convergence of rail, bus and road networks at Arca South is expected to improve residential accessibility and support urban decentralization — the spread of homes, jobs and services beyond established centers such as nearby Bonifacio Global City and Makati toward districts anchored by mass transit.

The 74-hectare mixed-use estate, located in Barangay West Bicutan, sits near Bonifacio Global City, Makati City and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Rail, subway and expressway links

Infrastructure projects tied to the estate include the Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange, which is expected to handle as many as 160,000 passengers and 5,200 vehicles daily once operations begin in 2028.

Arca South is also set to host the FTI/Arca South station serving the Metro Manila Subway and the North-South Commuter Railway. Partial operations for the first phase of the commuter railway are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027, while the FTI/Arca South common station is expected to be completed in 2034.

“With all the connections that we are having in the estate, we are strategically positioned to be the of major regional transport infrastructure projects that will redefine accessibility across Metro Manila,” Roy Mendoza, head of planning, innovation and design for Ayala Land Estates, said.

Skyway Stage 4, also known as the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, will have dedicated on- and off-ramps within Arca South under a partnership between Ayala Land and San Miguel Corp. The expressway is expected to cut travel time between Quezon City and Taguig to less than 30 minutes from nearly two hours.

Gardencourt turnover begins

The infrastructure buildout coincides with the start of unit turnovers at Gardencourt Residences, a 2.1-hectare project of Ayala Land Premier. The company has begun turning over units at Molave tower, the first of the project's five residential buildings, which offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 68 square meters (sq.m.) to 261 sq.m.

The timeline places Gardencourt's first residents in the estate ahead of its scheduled transit milestones — partial commuter railway operations in the fourth quarter of 2027, terminal operations in 2028 and the FTI/Arca South common station in 2034.

The Narra tower, which will contain 230 units, is scheduled for completion in March 2027 — the same year partial operations are set to begin on the first phase of the North-South Commuter Railway — with unit sizes ranging from 69 sq.m. to 259 sq.m.

“When we started working on Gardencourt Residences, one of the things we wanted to achieve was to offer a unique living experience within urban centers,” Dindin Gonzales, design management director at Ayala Land's residential business group, said.

The development will feature a 5,000-sq.m. central courtyard surrounded by five residential towers, along with amenities such as swimming pools, a fitness center, garden spaces and resident lounges. Singapore-based Habitus Design Group designed the project's amenities.

— Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales