Huge seafront project among buildings to benefit from 97.1ha urban rejuvenation initiative
JOHOR Baru City Council (MBJB) will leave it to the Johor government to decide how to redevelop Waterfront City Mall, also known as Lot 1.
Johor Baru mayor Datuk Mohd Noorazam Osman said the city council has given its views to the state government with the hope that it would be able to improve the shopping complex.
“It is not appropriate to discuss the matter now. Hopefully the state government takes steps to come up with something nice for the public,” he said when speaking to reporters after the MBJB full board meeting at Menara MBJB.
The city council, he said, has identified several abandoned buildings, including Lot 1, within the 97.1ha Ibrahim International Business District (IIBD).
“Lot 1 stands out from other (abandoned or derelict) buildings within the IIBD,” he said.
IIBD is an urban rejuvenation project, a joint venture involving Johor Corporation via its unit JLand Group, Johor State Secretary Inc and Iskandar City Development Sdn Bhd.
Waterfront City Mall, that had cost more than RM100mil to construct in 2000, was part of the Johor Baru Waterfront City floating project.
Located just a few metres opposite Istana Besar, the mall became a huge eyesore after the project was abandoned by the state in 2003.
Today, the open carpark is the only area that is used and that, too, as a place to park towed vehicles by MBJB.
Mohd Noorazam said several projects for the IIBD were in the pipeline.
Among them, he said, were the creation of more green corridors and a 750m walkway from the mall to Johor Zoo.
More parking bays would also be built in front of Lido Beach near the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque, he added.
“We have also undertaken a project to beautify the landscape in front of the Johor Baru High Court building,” said Mohd Noorazam.
More lighting features, he said, would also be installed at the Johor Baru Urban Forest and in a new park on the former site of Danga Bay Park.
