Empire East Celebrates Its 25 Years of Real Estate Expertise

Since its incorporation 25 years ago, Empire East has established itself at the forefront of delivering high-quality residences and communities. While the company initially started with a commitment to delivering quality residential projects for the middle-income market, it has since expanded its offerings to include upper mid-cost and luxurious communities to cater to the growing demand from homebuyers of various purchasing potential. 

A member of Alliance Global, one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, and under the effective and dynamic leadership of Atty. Anthony Charlemagne C. Yu, Empire East has tirelessly upheld a tradition of excellence by consistently innovating and pioneering real estate concepts that push the boundaries of the local industry—many of which have been adopted by other real estate players.

Introducing the Township Model

Empire East was the first to envision a community where everything residents may want and need is within reach, thus, the “township” lifestyle was created. The company was quick to materialize this vision through its flagship development, Laguna Bel-Air in Santa Rosa City, Laguna—a fully-integrated subdivision that gives convenient access to a science school, a parish church, retail establishments, world-class amenities, and exclusive transportation services.

First to Offer the “No Downpayment Scheme”

The company also pioneered the “No Down Payment and Zero Interest” scheme, at a time when the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit the market the hardest. By offering flexible payment terms, Empire East gave Filipinos the opportunity to step closer to their dreams of homeownership during a critical point in our economic history.

This was introduced through San Francisco Gardens, a mid-rise six-tower condominium at Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City.

Integrating Loft-type Units

True enough, necessity is the mother of invention, as Empire East pushed further to deliver innovations that will address the needs of its customers. After introducing the “No Downpayment Scheme,” the company came out with loft-type condominium units, which were the first in the country at the time. Many growing Filipino families found these space-efficient bi-level homes attractive, as they gave the look and experience of a townhouse or a standard two-level house, but at a reasonable price point as they recover from the remnant of the Asian Financial Crisis.

Greenhills Garden Square, a nine-tower condominium development along Santolan Road, Quezon City, was the first Empire East project to offer loft-type units. The four-tower The Xavier Hills and 25-tower California Garden Square in Mandaluyong followed suit. 

Building Micro-Cities

Filipinos have a strong sense of community and Empire East strived to integrate the core of a traditional neighborhood into their condominium developments. In order to do this, it brought the “micro-city” concept, where multi-tower condominiums are fully-integrated with commercial establishments and recreational amenities, giving residents the chance to enjoy urban living conveniences on a smaller scale.

Aside from offering loft-type units, California Garden Square and Greenhills Garden Square were also developed as micro-cities, along with the Pasig-Cainta project The Cambridge Village.

Developing Transit-Oriented Residences

Empire East was also the first developer in the Philippines to introduce “transit-oriented developments,” where developments are either connected or within walking distance from major transportation networks such as the MRT and LRT. Inspired by the dwellings in New York, Singapore, and Hongkong, this was also in response to the increasing demand to live near offices, schools, malls, and other lifestyle hubs.

Empire East now has a string of transit-oriented projects: Pioneer Woodlands, which is linked to MRT-3 Boni Station in Mandaluyong City; Little Baguio Terraces, which is located between LRT-2 Gilmore and J. Ruiz stations in San Juan City; San Lorenzo Place, which is linked to MRT-3 Magallanes Station in Makati City, that comes with a lifestyle mall; Covent Garden, which is tucked near LRT-2 V. Mapa Station in Santa Mesa, Manila; and The Paddington Place, which can be found near MRT-3 Shaw Boulevard Station in Mandaluyong City. 

Creating Urban Resort Communities

As the country continues to experience steady economic growth, living in the city has become more hectic than ever. This intensified many professionals’, along with their families, need to seek out occasional relaxation—be it within the city or out of town. And for several homebuyers, an everyday vacation experience is how they wanted to live. 

To cater to this trend, Empire East started to offer resort-inspired residential developments which offer world-class resort-style features and amenities. This, later on, would be the signature of the “Empire East Elite” brand of projects.

To date, Empire East has two urban resort communities strategically located in Pasig City: The Rochester and Kasara Urban Resort Residences.

Building the Country’s First Elevated City

For its 25th year of demonstrating expertise in real estate, Empire East is once again pioneering the first elevated city in the country: Empire East Highland City. Envisioned to be a fully-elevated township community, Empire East Highland City will be the first development in the Philippines to be built on stilts, making it elevated above the ground as opposed to merely being built on a natural high-altitude landscape. The 24-hectare property will rise at the convergence of Pasig City and Cainta, Rizal, featuring 37 residential towers, a 58,000 sqm luxurious lifestyle mall, an exclusive and state-of-the-art sports club, an expansive garden park, retail areas, and a 500-seater church.  

Needless to say, Empire East Highland City will truly bring about the best out of urban living, as well as set the standard for creating groundbreaking property developments that will adapt to the needs of the market.

As the company celebrates its 25 years in the business, there’s no doubt that Empire East has built an impressive portfolio consisting of unparalleled communities, born from undeniable foresight and industry expertise.

This article originally appeared on Lamudi.