Chinatown Business Association wins tender to manage iconic Smith Street in Chinatown
The master occupant are going to undertake the integrated management of the shophouses and a surrounding State land plot, which have an overall acreage of 34,066 sq ft and an estimated gross floor area of 33,065 sq ft.
According to SLA, the revitalised Smith Street are going to view a new line-up of lifestyle concepts and dining experiences. It claims that CBA’s bid of “distinguished lifestyle ideas, complementary programs and enhancements to the public realm intends to better promote neighborhood Chinese heritage and reinforce the identity of the location”.
“This experience is one-of-a-kind to CBA, and we hope to leverage on our connections in the neighborhood and knowledge of Chinatown Singapore’s heritage and society to inject more vibrancy to Smith Road and Chinatown Singapore,” claims Lim.
The tender to select a sole master occupant to oversee the historical row of shophouses at 11 to 37 Smith Street was jointly released by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) back in November last year.
“Visitors to Chinatown Singapore can anticipate even more curated offerings and experiences for both locals and visitors upon the completion of the Smith Street rejuvenation project. We are looking to bring in extra engaging and experiential neighborhood programmes, as well as even more different offerings for example, creative way of living, retail and co-living/co-working concepts, while protecting and celebrating the area’s cultural and building heritage,” says Lim Yick Suan, managing head, Chinatown Business Association.
The tender was evaluated based upon price and the high quality of each submitted principle. It drew in five various bidders the moment the tender closed in March, involving CBA which submitted the winning quote of $123,000. As the master occupant, CBA will handle the buildings for 5 years plus a 2nd term of four years.
The Chinatown Business Association (CBA) has actually won the tender for a row of iconic shophouses along Smith Street in Chinatown. CBA consists of stakeholders running in Chinatown, like business leaders, grassroots leaders, Chinese clan organizations, hoteliers, hawkers and sellers.
Lim claims that the tender activity was “extremely tough” but CBA benefitted from its active presence in the precinct for over 20 years. “Over the 2 decades, we have actually developed and sustained partnerships, and this has actually bought us a deep-rooted connection to the ground,” she states. The organisation has indeed organised past event such as wide-scale event celebrations such as Five Footway Celebration and Dumpling Event, to motif markets, street tasks, events and workshops.
Noontalk Media sent the highest possible quote of $180,000, followed by runner-up CBA. Other proposals stretched from $108,174 from Benlo Ventures to $68,177 from ABR Holdings and a $53,000 bid from IGYM Fitness.
She includes that CBA will introduce “uniquely Singaporean F&B offerings and international food products for both locals and visitors to indulge in at Smith Street”.
