Jose Juan Jugo, Ayala Land Inc. division manager for residential buildings group, talks about on-going developments in the area: "About five months ago, we decided to embark on a major landscaping project to further soften the feel of Montgomery Place. We are putting as much greenery in every open space as we can and see which types of trees are suitable, given our parameters and requirements." Flower boxes and trellises are being placed on walls and bare spaces to enhance the tranquil beauty of the place. He adds, "In places where landscaping cannot be done, we are doing hardscaping – we will cover the roads with decorative finishes to soften the texture."
The 7.5-hectare townhouse community started development in 2000 by Ayala Land, which recognized the residential potential of the area: "Everything is close to Montgomery Place – Makati, Greenhills, Quezon City," says Jugo. "Presently, there are 45 families living in the area and Montgomery Place will be coming to life even more when another 90 units are turned over to buyers this year.
Aside from being near ‘anything and everything’, Montgomery Place is distinct from other real estate projects in terms of architecture: "When we started Montgomery Place, we had several concepts in mind. At that time the most popular theme was Mediterranean but we wanted to offer something different," Jugo states. The group decided on a concept not yet seen in the country, an American South design called ‘Cracker Architecture’ characterized by high-pitched roofs, tall ceilings and panoramic windows, more common in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
Market studies report that a single-detached house-and-lot unit is still the number one preference among homebuyers. But the reality these days is that a single-detached home located too close to the city can be very expensive. For those belonging to the high income set, the dictum is "the closer you are to the city, the ‘higher’ you have to go", which means raising their families in high-rise buildings. But people who don’t want to live in a tower are opting for townhouse living. "Montgomery Place addresses the demand of the high-end residential market looking for log-density development," says Jugo. "These are people who don’t want to live in high-rise buildings and prefer living ‘close to the ground’ and close to the city."