BTO Analysis for Geylang’s Dakota Breeze and Pine Vista – which stack is best?

The recent BTO launch in May 2017 drew much interest for the Geylang projects, mainly because they will be located between two MRT stations, Dakota and Aljunied. We’ve already done a quick BTO analysis for the two Woodlands projects that was also launched during May 2017, Woodlands Spring and Marsiling Grove. We’re now turning our attention to Dakota Breeze and Pine Vista in Geylang. Drawing the most interest were the 4-room flats at Dakota Breeze. The project also offers 2-room flexi and 3-room units. At Pine Vista, only 2-room flexi and 3-room flats are available. Here’s a quick table summary of the key data for Pine Vista and Dakota Breeze:

	Pine Vista	Dakota Breeze
Location	Located at the junction of Cassia Link and Pine Lane	Bounded by Jalan Satu and Jalan Dua
Estimated Completion Date	4th quarter of 2020	2nd quarter of 2021
Blocks	2	5
Highest Floor	18	18
Type of Units	2-room Flexi and 3-room flats	2-room Flexi, 3-, and 4-room flats

 

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Pine Vista is a 5-minute walk away from Dakota MRT. Walking to Aljunied MRT will take approximately 15 minutes. Dakota MRT has a walking distance of just 2 minutes to Dakota Breeze, while Aljunied MRT is an 18-minute walk.  

WHAT’S IN THE VICINITY?

Pine Vista is located at the junction of Pine Lane and Cassia Link, while Dakota Breeze is bounded by Jalan Satu and Jalan Dua. The two projects are less than 200 metres apart, and are separated mainly by the existing Mountbatten Community Club (which will be replaced eventually by high-rise developments). Popular hawker centre Old Airport Centre is located nearby (5 minutes for Dakota Breeze and 3 minutes for Pine Vista). There is also a neighbourhood centre nearby with a supermarket and various shops providing essential services. The nearest malls are City Plaza and One KM Mall, which is a 20-minute walk away from both BTOs. The area also made social media headlines last month after a participant in a forum received backlash for commenting that the site might turn into a “slum” with the rise of 2-room and 3-room apartments, which he claimed will create a “den of single senior folk and poorer families”. While we can’t foretell the future at Renonation, we will be analysing the site based on what we can see in the present as well as with the information provided by HDB.   Here are photos from our site visit during a weekend afternoon.

View of Block 36, the nearest residential unit for Pine Vista

The short building at the end is Old Airport Road Hawker Centre.

View of Pine Lane.

View of Cassia Link (road).

View along Cassia Crescent.

Most of Pine Vista is surrounded by existing residential developments. Along Pine Lane and Cassia Link, there are a few sites reserved for future high-rise developments. We noticed that the environment is relatively quiet, despite it being a densely populated neighbourhood. There is a mix of new HDBs and old HDBs in the area. Traffic was regular, although it wasn't overly busy. This could be due to the fact that it's a weekend or it could be because the roads surrounding Pine Vista are not main arterial ones. However, we did spot a few heavy vehicles passing through Pine Lane and Cassia Link.  

STACK ANALYSIS FOR PINE VISTA

Now that we’ve seen what the site can offer, let’s turn to the stack analysis Pine Vista. Here, we determine which stack deserves your attention and which should be avoided based on these factors.  

THE GOOD

If you value your privacy, these stacks are the ones to go for. They are not next to the lifts, where human traffic is high, and there is less chance of people looking through your home while passing through the corridor. Stacks for privacy: 37A: 14*!, 12^, 02^ 38A: 38^, 34^, 32^, 22*!^ *These stacks are located near gathering spots and activity zones such as the adult fitness station, children’s playground and the elderly fitness station. ! These stacks are near the staircase. If you’re opting for a lower floor, you might have neighbours using the stairs more often. ^ These stacks face out to the road. Note: For stack 02, it is located next to the drop-off point. The area is already or will be surrounded by high-rise apartments, so there aren’t a lot of units that will have unblocked views. However, there is a select few. Stacks for unblocked views: 37A: 14, 16, 18, 20

• Do note that you will have to obtain a unit that is higher than level 13 to get relatively unblocked views as the block in front of these units has 13 storeys.
• Also keep in mind that these units are all located near gathering spots and activity zones so noise levels will be higher.

 

THE BAD

Don’t want a home that feels like a baked oven in the afternoon? Stay away from these. Avoid these stacks that face the western sun: 37A: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 38A: 38, 22, 24, 26

• If you’re opting for stacks 22, 24, 26 and wish to avoid the western sun, you may wish to pick a lower floor (storey 4 and below) as these units can be blocked by the adjoining 4-storey car park.

Particular about the noise from neighbouring traffic? Best to avoid these units which face the road. Avoid these stacks if you don’t want to hear noise from the traffic: 37A: 12, 10, 08, 06, 04, 02 38A: 38, 36, 34, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22

• As you can see, most units at Pine Vista actually face the roads. While these roads are less busy than the arterial road at Guillemard Road, we expect traffic will get busier once the other high-rise developments are built in the area.
• Stack 38 and 36 are slightly further away from the road than the rest of the stacks.
• Units on the lower floor will most likely get the brunt of the traffic noise compared to those on the higher floor. So if you are picking a unit from these stacks, opt for a higher floor one if you can.

  The photos from our site visit to Dakota Breeze on a weekend afternoon:

Beyond the trees is Geylang River.

The nearby school, Kong Hwa.

The road leading to Kong Hwa School, Jalan Satu.

Along Jalan Satu. View of temporary carpark.

Existing flats along Jalan Dua.

Dakota Breeze is located next to Kong Hwa primary school, the Geylang River and a park connector. Most of the development is surrounded by sites reserved for future high-rise developments. The existing public housing surrounding Dakota Breeze are located along Jalan Dua. Compared to Pine Vista, the site for Dakota Breeze seems a lot quieter. There was less traffic flow as well. However, do note that our site visit was done during a weekend and during the school holidays. We expect the area to be noisier during school terms on weekdays.  

STACK ANALYSIS FOR DAKOTA BREEZE

Let’s move on to the site analysis for Dakota Breeze, to determine which unit you should opt for and which unit you should avoid if you can.  

THE GOOD

These stacks are away from the hot western sun. Opt for these if you want to keep cool. Stacks with no or little western sun: 90A: 20!, 22!, 24*, 26*, 40 90B: 44*!, 48, 50, 54, 56, 64* 91A: 70#, 72#, 76#, 88 91B: 90*, 92*, 94*, 98, 104, 106, 110*! 92A: 112, 118*, 120*, 124!, 128, 130 *These stacks are located near gathering spots and activity zones such as the residents’ committee centre, pavilions, social communities centre, adult fitness station, children’s playground and the elderly fitness station. ! These stacks are near the lift. # These stacks face the 7-storey car park directly. Avoid getting a unit that is lower than the 8th floor in these stacks. Note: Stack 112 faces out to the main road and Stacks 54 and 56 is located near the drop-off point. Dakota Breeze is located next to the Geylang River. For a riverside view, these are the units to go for. Stacks with the view of Geylang River: 90B: 62, 64*, 46*!, 44*! 91B: 108*, 110*, 90*, 92* 92A: 122*!, 124*!, 126, 128 * These stacks are located near gathering spots and activity zones such as the residents’ committee centre, pavilions, social communities centre, adult fitness station, children’s playground and the elderly fitness station. ! These stacks are near the lift. If you value home privacy – you don’t want nosy neighbours judging your interior décor choices from the doorway while passing through the corridor – these are the stacks to choose from. Stacks with home privacy: 90A: 30, 28*, 22*, 38%, 40 90B: 54%, 52, 46*, 62, 64* 91A: 80*, 78#, 86*, 68*, 70# 91B: 102*, 100#, 108*, 90*, 92* 92A: 116*#, 114#, 132 * These stacks are located near gathering spots and activity zones such as the residents’ committee centre, pavilions, social communities centre, adult fitness station, children’s playground and the elderly fitness station. # These stacks face or are located close to the 7-storey car park. Avoid getting a unit that is lower than the 8th floor in these stacks. % These stacks are located near the drop-off point.  

THE BAD

If you don’t want to hear the school bells chiming every half an hour, avoid these units which are facing Kong Hwa School directly. Avoid these stacks if you don’t want to face the school: 90A: 30,32, 34, 36 90B: 54, 56, 58, 60 Note that stacks 30 and 32 (4-room units) are located further from the school than the rest of the stacks in this category. While traffic wasn't very heavy during our site visit, it's best to avoid them as they can get noisy during weekdays when school term starts. These stacks are located along the roads – Jalan Dua and Jalan Satu. Stay away from them if you are bothered by vehicular noise. Avoid these stacks if you don’t want to hear traffic noise: 90A: 30, 28 90B: 58, 60 91A: 80, 78 92A: 114, 112, 132  

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Here are some final things to note:

1. Some 4-room flats in Dakota Breeze come with a balcony in the living room.
2. Some of the 2-room Flexi units in the two projects are set aside for the elderly under short-term leases.

There is no perfect unit, so it really depends on what you can close one eye on. Tell us in the comments if this BTO analysis has helped you in any way or if there’s any other BTO project you would like us to analyse. Disclaimer: Action taken in response to the information provided in this article is at the reader’s discretion. Site plans and maps are from HDB.  

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