Feb 2022 BTO: Unit Analysis for Dakota Crest at Geylang

You probably know where the upcoming Dakota Crest BTO is located if you remember the major conservation efforts to save Dakota Crescent, one of Singapore's oldest estates. If you are not much of a history or heritage buff, then Dakota Crest's location across the road from one of Singapore's most popular hawker centres, Old Airport Road Food Centre, should offer an inkling as to where it is. We take a quick look around the surroundings during a site visit and check out the best units to go with for this Feb 2022 BTO.

BTO	Dakota Crest
Location	Bounded by Old Airport Road, Jalan Enam, and Dakota Crescent
Total no. of units	443
Unit types	2-room Flexi, 3- and 4-room
No. of blocks	3
Highest storeys	17 to 22
Estimated completion date	4Q2027
Pricing	2-room Flexi (Type 1): $205K - $239K 2-room Flexi (Type 2): $236K - $315K 3-room: $352K - $456K 4-room: $522K - $688K
Public transportation	• 5-min walk to either Dakota MRT station or Mountbatten MRT station on the Circle Line
Nearest primary schools (within a 1-km radius, approx.)	• Kong Hwa School

Location

Dakota Crest sits on the plot of the former Dakota Crescent estate. Built-in 1958, the latter was one of the first public housing projects developed even before the formation of HDB in 1960. Parts of the old estate, including the iconic Dove playground, will be retained following conservation efforts, so there will be a mix of the old and new in the surrounds.

It's a quaint, sleepy area, but bustling enough thanks to the amenities nearby. Foodies will love the location, since it's located just opposite the popular Old Airport Road Hawker Centre (famed for Lor Mee, Prawn Noodles and Char Kway Teow). Transportation is also convenient, as the BTO is sandwiched between two MRT stations—Dakota MRT to the east and Mountbatten MRT to the west, both of which are on the Circle Line.

Old Airport Road Hawker Centre is located just opposite from Dakota Crest.

A portion of the BTO is also bounded by the Geylang River, which means some stacks will get to enjoy waterfront views. (Interestingly, the other Feb 2022 BTOs also have waterfront views: Tengah, Kallang/Whampoa, and Yishun)

Google screen grab of the waterfront views for certain stacks at Dakota Crest.

For folks who prefer taking the bus, there are quite a number of buses that pass through the bus stops along Old Airport Road. They take you to places like Buona Vista, Harbourfront, Orchard Road, Raffles Place, Bedok and Tampines. So this BTO’s really ideal in terms of public transportation.

Site for Dakota Crest.

Along Jalan Enam. Broadrick Secondary School to the left.

There’s a wet market and NTUC Fairprice supermarket just across the road from the BTO for daily groceries. Otherwise, you can head down to the nearest shopping malls, Kallang Wave Mall or Leisure Park Kallang—both about a 16-min walk or a short bus ride away—to get access to larger supermarkets. There’s a Fairprice XTRA at Kallang Wave Mall, while Leisure Park Kallang has a Cold Storage.

Lots of recreational options for residents at Dakota Crest as well. Besides Singapore Sports Hub nearby, you also get to reach East Coast Park by foot in 20 mins. Prefer not to walk? The beach’s just a short drive or a bus ride away.

For those who drive, you’ll also find it easy to get around Singapore since it’s a short drive to the major expressways. Getting to the MCE or ECP is about a 4-min drive, while it will take you about 6 mins to reach PIE or KPE.

In terms of primary schools, Kong Hwa School falls within the 1-km radius, while Geylang Methodist School (Primary), Haig Girls’ School and Tanjong Katong Primary School are located between 1km and 2km.

Which unit should I go for at Dakota Crest?

2-room

We would prefer the stacks away from the main road seeing as Old Airport Road can see quite heavy traffic. Plus because it has quite a number of buses trawling through, traffic noise is likely going to be a problem. The upside to these main-road facing stacks though are the convenience of getting to the bus stop and the nearby hawker centre.

Along Old Airport Road. Site for Dakota Crest is to the left of picture.

The inner 2-room stacks are facing the 7-storey car park, so you may be affected by revving motors and screeching of tires if you pick a unit that is on a lower floor. We would recommend getting a 2-room unit on a floor higher than the car park.

Some of the 2-room stacks are also located relatively close to Broadrick Secondary's school field. You'll want to take note of this as it can get noisy (soccer try-outs, track and field meets, sports day... you get the drift).

3-room

Stacks 130 and 132 are our picks for the best views, although you will have to contend with the hot afternoon sun, particularly in the months from September to March since those stacks are south-west facing.

These stacks are also great for privacy, since they are located at the end and away from the lift lobby.

We would avoid going for stack 104 if possible. As it’s facing the bus stop and the main road, noise levels are likely going to be high here.

4-room

We like stacks 116 and 118 best for the quiet and the unblocked, waterfront views. You’ll find, on the other side of Geylang River, a series of low-rise private housing which will mean those on the higher floors of these stacks will be able to see quite substantially further without having their views obstructed.

If you want views + a gorgeous balcony to admire those views, go with stacks 120, 122 and 124. However these stacks are fronting areas where people tend to congregate so it can get quite noisy especially if you are living on a lower floor.

In terms of privacy, you’ll want to go with corner stack 124.

Layout Suggestions 

2-room

This design idea’s for the 2-room (Type 2) units. If you like the clean, minimalist Muji style, this one’s for you. Instead of going with a conventional couch, you can set up a platform at the corner of your living room and throw in a couple of beanbags for that relaxed, laidback look. It can also double up as your home office—all you need is a laptop stand and you’re set to go. 

Design: Weiken

3-room

Use that large stretch of wall and extend the living room console all the way. Part of it can be used as a dining bench, saving you some space. 

Design: Carpenters 

4-room

Don’t want to jostle for the sink with your spouse in the mornings? Do up a his-and-hers sink by placing them outside of the conventional master bathroom space. This will effectively make your shower area bigger. It does also mean you won’t get to place your closet inside your master bedroom, so this will only work if you can spare an extra bedroom to turn into a walk-in wardrobe. 

Design: IdeasXchange

Share your thoughts: What do you think about the Dakota Crest BTO? Will you be applying for a flat here?