Circuit Makati reboots a forgotten alcove

MANILA, Philippines - I hate to state the obvious, but Makati is not upscale and polished all over. At the fringes of the city is Santa Ana, which is bordered by Makati on its east end. There was a time when I spent my M-W-Fs here working at a home for delinquent kids. It was a short commute from my house so I preferred to walk instead. I got to know the place pretty well. It’s not Makati as we know it. It had the aroma of Burnham Park –– no, Wright Park –– on a good day. Santa Ana once housed the Santa Ana Park, a 65-hectare racecourse that closed in 2008. The area has since been quite the neglected part of the city, at least by those who live in developments that have been built to be as self-contained as possible, like the Makati Business District, Bonifacio Global City and Ayala Center. It’s not lined with luxury boutiques, motorists have little to no veneration for traffic rules, buildings are no taller than five, maybe six stories, and the only al fresco dining spot in the area is at this eatery on the corner of dark and dreary.

At the recent press briefing held by Ayala Land Inc. at the Raffles Long Bar, ALI executives announced that Santa Ana is about to change for the brighter. Ayala Land has invested in a 21-hectare, multi-phase development in Santa Ana and, as it has done with its other developments in Makati, promises to give it a much-needed facelift and more.

Bright lights, big city

In the 1920s, the Santa Ana Cabaret was the place to be. Horse-drawn carriages brought everyone, from Manila’s elite to U.S. servicemen, to this grand ballroom that claimed to be the largest cabaret in the world –– very Midnight in Paris. It was destroyed by a flood in the ‘70s and was redeveloped as a racetrack that sported thoroughbred horseracing. It’s difficult to imagine Santa Ana as a destination for “hip, young Manila,” but with Circuit Makati underway, the idea seems plausible.

Ayala Land is known for building innovative multi-use communities. Ayala Center in Makati is the biggest shopping hub in the country. Bonifacio Global City transformed Taguig into a high-end, pedestrian-, family- and pet-friendly dining and leisure destination. Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna is known as the only destination (of its scale) south of the metro that caters to lovers of the outdoors ­— from bird-watchers to extreme bikers and zombie-hunting runners. In its latest endeavor, Circuit Makati, Ayala Land brings together concepts from all over the world in one development that it is setting up to be an “interactive entertainment district.”

Hardwired to entertain

Circuit Makati will be launching this Jan. 15, showcasing the groundwork of the entire development: the entertainment facilities. Circuit Makati is going to be “wholesome with an edge.” The energy of Tokyo’s Ginza, the glamour and charm of London’s West End, the thrill of New York Fashion Week and the architecture of the Chicago Millennium Park provided the ALI team with inspiration. “Phase 1, which will be developed over the next five years, will have an indoor performing arts theater with 1,500 seats, a Broadway-standard 96-square-meter stage and a 60-musician orchestra pit. We will be developing an interactive central walk that is anchored on water –– alluding to the adjacent Pasig River. It will have larger-than-life billboards that are, themselves, pieces of art. There will be the Black Box, a multi-purpose venue for more intimate events, as well as the outdoor event grounds that will have a 2,000-square-meter canopy tent,” said Mean Dy, vice president and group head of Strategic Landbank Management Group of Ayala Land.

A particular highlight of the grand launch on Jan. 15 is the unveiling of the Circuit Event Grounds, a two-hectare open grounds area that can accommodate up to 20,000 people at once. During the launch, a concert-party will be held featuring 80 Filipino performers from the entertainment industry, theater and the arts, the world of fashion, foreign acts like the Jabbawockeez and our very own Team Azkals. Circuit City will also be hosting the first ever International Music Festival in the country this year; a concert featuring Grammy Award nominee Carly Rae Jepsen is already in the works.

To complete its range of entertainment facilities, Circuit City will also have sports zones that will hold the country’s first skate park, which will hopefully nurture the popular extreme sports activity by providing hobbyists and pros with a safe and contained facility that abides by international standards. A FIFA-size football turf will also be developed, with bleachers that can comfortably seat 2,000 fans. Ayala Land is also planning to partner with football professionals in founding another first: a football school.

Shopping, dining and taking the culture in

In the succeeding phases, a grand mall that features an Ayala Malls department store and cinemas will be developed, along with a hotel from Ayala Land’s own hotel brand, Seda Hotels, and a warehouse innovation that will be an intimate community of smaller shops, restaurants, art galleries and other merchants.

Alveo Land will also be building 20 residential condominiums in the area, simultaneous with other Phase 1 constructions. They will first build a 40-story tower in a 5,000-square-meter land area, and from then develop one tower every year over Circuit Makati’s 20-year development plan.

To accommodate the pedestrian traffic that Circuit Makati is expected to draw in, ALI is working with the local government in creating a BRT system within the development, as well as creating a layout that cultivates a “walking city” culture. There are also plans to improve areas surrounding Circuit Makati, with LGUs at the helm.

Making it happen one district at a time

Circuit Makati is Ayala Land’s latest district and a part of Makati’s continuous transformation from swampland to business, retail and leisure hub. Together with the local government and the Makati Commercial Estate Association, Inc., Ayala Land proposes a city that offers different experiences through its six key districts: Ayala Center, Makati Business District, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati North, and Makati South.

Circuit Makati is the entertainment pillar of the “Make it Happen, Make it Makati” campaign –– Santa Ana, after all, has its roots in entertainment. With every new entertainment craze that comes along, an old one dies. Dancing, then clubbing, now afternoon tea… We’ve become a society of differences. Any new community that encourages most of our interests and hobbies in one location is more than welcome, if only to bridge the old with the new, the young with the old, the shabby with the chic, and the forgotten with the rest of its city.

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To know more about Circuit Makati and Makati City’s Make It Happen, Make It Makati campaign, log-on to www.circuitmakati.com or download the Makati Leads magazine from the website.