A legacy of land for generations
MANILA, Philippines - Greenfield Development Corporation remains to be one of the most formidable real estate companies in the country today, and its enduring success may be ascribed to its singular corporate vision — stewardship of land for the best benefit of Filipino families across generations.
This stewardship necessitates numerous partnerships that involve not only private sector counterparts. With the extent of land development that Greenfield undertakes, it necessarily involves the communities around it and the general public as well. In many instances, the company paved the way for social and economic growth in untapped locales.
The once sleepy town of Sta. Rosa in Laguna is close to the heart of Greenfield because it is a prime example of a real estate “baby” that it nurtured and saw to its highest potential today. “We were in Sta. Rosa long before people even dared to venture into the area,” says Greenfield general manager Duane A.X. Santos of what the company today calls Greenfield City, a 400-hectare mixed-use masterplanned development.
“We knew something big would come out of this area. Metro Manila was becoming overutilized and so we knew that the next growth centers would definitely be on the outskirts. It took a very long time to shape it, and it took a lot of investment to make it viable, but Greenfield put all of these in with great faith,” he explains.
The company made inroads, literally and figuratively, into this Southern Manila area, beginning with much-needed transport infrastructure such as the Greenfield/Unilab exit, the Cabuyao exit and Southwoods exit in the early 1990s. In 2006, accessibility was even more enhanced with the opening of the Eton-Greenfield Interchange.
In 1998, the Paseo de Santa Rosa mall revitalized the shopping scene with its revolutionary concept of never-before-seen outlet and discount stores of popular foreign brands. “People would drive from all over Metro Manila to shop here,” recounts Santos. Up to now, Paseo holds a reputation for value-for-money shopping that families conveniently enjoy on their weekends out of town.
The Greenfield Auto Park, also established in 1998, played a vital role in stimulating the economy both locally and nationally with its steady stream of manufacturing, electronics, automotive and industrial locators that provided millions of jobs for Filipinos. In 2004, the Santa Rosa Business Park opened and provided more space for corporate, hospitality and academic institutions.
Pioneering lifestyles
Another aspect that sets Greenfield apart as a developer is its “lifestyle engineering.”
“We want to change the way people live—for the better,” explains Santos. The Greenfield City masterplan, for instance, is cleverly described as “a city within a park.”
“It’s the best way to describe how we give emphasis to spaciousness and greenery more than anything else,” he adds. “When we develop our residential subdivisions, for instance, the parks, landscaping and trees are not just amenities. Instead, we would like residents to feel that their homes are set against the comfort and majesty of nature.”
In Mandaluyong City, a different lifestyle is being espoused—that of digital connectivity and urban convenience. The masterplanned Greenfield District is now underway in what was once a 15-hectare property conveniently located along the main EDSA thoroughfare.
People may recall its modest beginnings as a commercial complex known as EDSA Crossing back in the 1970s. Even then, the development served a lot of purpose as a landmark transportation hub in the still developing metro. Today, Greenfield readily changes with the times by transforming the area into a city center that is touted as the first “smart” and digitally connected hub in the country.
The core of this vision is a fiber-optic backbone that will be integrated within the district and in the various residential, commercial and office infrastructure in the complex, enabling access to high-speed Internet and the benefits it brings.
This futuristic lifestyle was unveiled as early as 2009 with the launch of Twin Oaks Place, the first digitally connected condominium development in the Philippines. Unit owners can remotely control home appliances away from home through their smartphones, and many other endless possibilities that modern technology affords through the power of the Internet.
In the next couple of years, Greenfield District will grow with more residential developments, office buildings and mixed-use leisure and lifestyle centers — bringing exciting change to the Metro Manila landscape.
