A <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/property/arada-launches-2-2bn-masaar-project-in-sharjah-1.1156483" target="_blank">Dh8 billion</a> Sharjah megaproject featuring a vast forested community and a host of leisure attractions is taking shape. Masaar, which is being overseen by real estate developer Arada, will feature 4,000 villas and town houses split into eight gate districts with a 'green spine' of 50,000 trees across 19 million square feet. The area will also boast an experience centre due to open in June, which will include a children's adventure playground, a skate park, an outdoor amphitheatre and Zad, the popular food district already present in Arada’s sister community Aljada. A landscaped and forested precinct will also be the hub for a 13-kilometre cycling network. The ambitious mixed-use scheme was launched in January 2021 and will be in the heart of the Suyoh district of the emirate. The first homes are due to be handed over in the first quarter of 2023. The plans are gathering pace after Arada awarded two contracts valued at Dh118 million for its development. Both contracts will develop the infrastructure and landscape for two areas of Masaar. Work will focus on the central precinct around the Masaar Experience Centre and the buffer zone that runs around the edge of the community, featuring professional sports facilities set in a woodland area. The Dh75 million contract for infrastructure works at the central precinct and the buffer zone in Masaar was awarded to Al Marwan General Contracting Company, a Sharjah-based contractor that has worked with Arada on previous projects. The Dh43 million contract for landscape works at the same areas in Masaar was won by Al Qalamoon Garden Designers, also based in Sharjah. Work by both contractors on the central precinct of Masaar is scheduled to be completed at the end of April, in time for the opening of the Masaar Experience Centre in June. Work by the two contractors on the buffer zone, the border that runs around the outside of the community, is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. Containing thousands of trees, the buffer zone will feature a two professional looped cycling and jogging tracks, each 6.6 kilometres in length. “These two contracts will pave the way for opening Masaar to the public with world-class entertainment and sporting facilities, which comes as part of our commitment to delivering an exceptional experience that adds significant value to both existing and future homeowners,” said Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, group chief executive of Arada. “Masaar is fast becoming one of the most sought-after communities in the region and offers an unparalleled array of high-end facilities to match the nature-inspired tranquillity it provides to its residents.”
