Taman Desa residents see red over proposed condo

KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of Taman Desa here are up in arms against a proposed 1,174-unit high-rise condominium development, which is set to increase what is already a traffic-congested area.
Taman Desa Residents Association (TDRA) president Wong Chan Choy said with already "too many" high-rise residential buildings in the area, residents would have to bear with cars parking along the road sides if further developments were to take place.
"For example, if one apartment unit only allocates one parking lot, what happens then if the owner has three cars? Parking will never be enough.
"They are going to park along the roads and even in the area around landed properties. Traffic congestion will become worse," he told theSun, adding that residents are already suffering from over-development.
Wong said the new 35 to 36 floors, five-block condominium is also set to increase population density considerably, noting that several residents have also raised concerns over the issue.
In a notice put up by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to inform the public on the proposed development, DBKL claimed that KL mayor Datuk Mhd. Amin Nordin had received requests to increase the population density from 60 per acre (1 acre is about 0.4ha) to 650 per acre.
Wong said he has already received over 200 protests and complaints from residents as of today, and is preparing an official objection letter to be sent to DBKL by Feb 8.
"We are just asking for the authorities' consideration. They must look at the area, it is in the middle of landed properties," he said.
When asked if DBKL is to be blamed for approving developers' proposals to build high-rise properties, leading to over-development, Wong said: "I don't want to point fingers. Siapa makan cili, dia terasa pedas (he who is guilty will feel the heat)."
He said the developers should have also discussed with residents first and hear their thoughts before coming up with a plan.
"These are all the problems that residents will have to bear. If possible, discuss with us first, you can't just do whatever you want, and make the residents suffer," he said.