Changamwe a magnet for high-end malls

Major infrastructural developments in Changamwe are turning the area into a major location for high-end shopping malls. These include the expansion of the airport, Port Reitz, Magongo and Mombasa-Miritini roads into dual carriageways.

The projects, which are scheduled for completion mid next year, will, hopefully end the traffic jams currently witnessed on these roads.

The prospects of this area undergoing a transformation have seen investors buying land and building high-end shopping malls and office blocks. The businesses jostling for space in the commercial properties include cffee shops, clothing stores, beauty and cosmetic accessories, as well as pharmacies and banks.

Proximity to the airport is also encouraging companies to open shops in the area, with the available office space being snapped up even before construction is completed.

One such development is the Airport Centre Mall, located at the heart of the densely populated Changamwe area. It will sit on 2.5 acres a kilometre from the airport turn-off as one drives towards Magongo.

The directors, Mr Abdulsalaam Noorani and Mr Imran Noorani, broke ground this week, and bookings have already hit the 70 per cent mark. “The Sh700 million investment will have a ground and first floor, with the built up area measuring about 172,000

square feet.

It will have more than 250 parking slots on the ground floor and basement,” Imran said.

CHANGED OUTLOOK

It will be the first modern Mall in Changamwe, and is expected to change the outlook of commercial properties in the area.

According to Mr Imran, the choice of  location was informed by ease of access not only or the residential estates within the area, but also by its proximity to industrial companies and the Moi International Airport.

The expansion of the roads in Changamwe, which form an important cluster around Mombasa port, will incorporate the construction of interchanges and overpasses on an eight-lane highway. There will also be access roads to the Airport Centre mall.

“We have one of the largest supermarket chains in the country as our anchor tenant while various service and utility providers have booked space. This will bring services closer to the people of Changamwe,”  Imran said.

Meanwhile, Mr Davis Kithiki of DK Real Estate Ltd said ridding Changamwe and Magongo of trucks will open them up for big-time residential and commercial investments since it will take less than 15 minutes to commute from Mombasa Island.

“At the moment, we don’t have a single shopping mall in an area near an international airport and we expect that once the traffic congestion is addressed, this will be a prime location for putting up office blocks, malls and residential units for the middle class. The response to the bookings at the Airport Centre Mall is an indication that businesses are moving there,” he said.

According to him, the trend among Mombasa residents is tilting towards shopping malls and property developers are cashing in on shoppers’ appetite for mall shoppng by investing in the facilities within the town and its environs.

Mr Kithiki said one of the selling points of shopping malls in Mombasa at the moment is the availability of parking space, and cites Nyali Centre, which has lots of   parking space, making the

location popular with Mombasa residents.