Oakridge adds commercial component to business park

CEBU, Philippines - The high demand for office space in Cebu prompted the Oakridge Realty and Development Corporation (ORDC) to go full-blast in developing its three-hectare business park along A.S. Fortuna street, Banilad, in Mandaue City.

Oakridge Business Park, the location of call center giant Tele Tech, is now constructing a commercial component within the park, and eventually develop the entire three hectare property in the next two to three years.

ORDC, used to be a fully-gated business park, is now opening the facility to the community, with the commercial component called OakTree Drive.

“The OakTree Drive will complement the business park facility, offering the support products and services to initially cater the two thousand people working within the park,” said ORDC chief executive officer (CEO) Edmund Liu during the official ground breaking ceremony to start off the OakTree Drive construction.

At present, the park houses 20 tenants including the PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) registered IT Center currently occupied by Tele Tech operation in Cebu.

While it is tempting to maximize the three-hectare property with available offices and buildings, Liu said the company is committed to make the Business Park, one of Cebu’s landmarks in “green architecture.”

ORDC, is not limited to attracting BPO-related companies, but also to other industries, as aside from Tele Tech, the business park is the home of other service-oriented firms such as Basic Graphics Inc., Golden ABC Corporation, OVF Law Office, among others.

Liu hopes that the Park will attract diverse industry and service-based companies once it will construct sophisticated and modern office infrastructure, with emphasis on “green” development concept.

“The temptation to add more leasable spaces was there, but we are not losing touch of the park ambiance,” Liu said adding that providing an ample green-space within the property is the development’s priority.

The OakTree Drive will offer a total leasable space of 628 square-meters that will host food chain, coffee shops, and other food and retail businesses.

Although the building occupied by Tele Tech is the only PEZA-registered facility within the park, Liu said the company is open to convert some of the buildings to a cyber-zone registered to give way for potential BPO/IT related companies to take advantage of the fiscal perks offered PEZA.

To date, Oakridge Business Park has a total leasable area of 18,000 square meters, it boasts of an integrated road network, well-maintained building facilities, 24/7 security, a one-megawatt generator, ample parking space and easy access by public transportation.

The company is open to possibilities of developing similar infrastructure within the metropolis in the next few years, after it will maximize the business park’s total leasable space. —Ehda M. Dagooc