Project Watch: Casa Grande Elan, Chennai

Sholinganallur is a fresh addition to many Chennai suburbs and is the new information-technology (IT) corridor located towards the south of the city. After housing IT companies and BPO units (business process outsourcing), the area is inching up on housing, too. Casa Grande launched it new luxury villa project in Sholinganallur, called Casa Grande Elan, recently.

The product
What if your house looks and feels like a five-star hotel? This is what the builder is aiming, as it prepares to launch the project with 3BHK villas and row houses. The Phase-I of the project has 214 units, out of the planned 333 exclusive independent villas and row houses in a 15.2-acre area. The size of villas built with contemporary new-age architecture, ranges from 1,259 sq ft to 2,255 sq ft.

The design
The villas and row houses are three-storeyed. To make it luxurious, it also has high ceilings with a slab-to-slab height at 10 feet. It promises internal walls to be done securely with one coat of primer, two coats of putty and tractor emulsion. All the rooms will have vitrified tiles and terrace, with matt-finish ceramic tiles. The windows will have a powder Aluminium panel, with see-through plain glass. The houses also boast of rain-water harvesting and pneumatic water supply system, with a three-phase power supply.

Exclusive features
The project aims to surround the houses with a steam room, a sauna facility, a jacuzzi, an aroma garden, a video games zone & movie room, an aerobics room, a virtual golf simulator, a multi-colour fountain ---- exclusive facilities that would turn the villas from luxury to super-luxury. 
The project also has other features offered in a building society --- an indoor games room, a half basketball court, a walking and jogging track, a swimming pool, a gym to activate the sports gene in even the most lethargic of its residents. For those who do not prefer sports at all, there is a landscaped sitting area, a flowers garden, a sand pit, a childrens' play area, and a meditation room.

The builder
Casa Grande Pvt Limited is a nine-year old Chennai-based real estate company. It builds and sell luxury villas as well as apartments in Chennai, Bengaluru and Coimbatore. The company has completed 31 projects so far, which includes 1,256 units; it has 16 ongoing projects in its kitty. The realtor also has 18 upcoming projects, with 2,301 units.

The locality
Though technically in Kanchipuram district, Sholinganallur is considered a Chennai suburb. It developed quickly, thanks to the special economic zones and IT parks. It is also located close to other IT-based suburbs such as Perungudi and Taramani.

Advantages of the area

• Boasts of a satellite township, with amenities such as roads, schools, play grounds and bus terminals.
• Home to major IT companies (Wipro, Infosys, TCS and Accenture are located within a five-km radius).
• 14 kms from Tambaram and 2 kms from the East Coast Road.
• Close to beaches, providing recreation and entertainment value.
• Many of city's popular restaurants are located here.
• Houses major hospitals such as Global Hospitals, Chettinad Hospitals and Swaram Hospitals.
• Famous Sholinganallur Prathyangira Devi Temple is located in the area.

Infrastructure and future prospects
The Tamil Nadu Government has developed infrastructure like roads and other civic amenities in the area. The area is also set to grow in prominence as the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is all set to re-transform the IT suburb into a financial hub. A Financial City is being built, targeting multinational corporations.
The demand for projects in this area is 34.88 per cent higher than all other projects in Chennai. It is expected to grow higher because natural attributes of this area, like the beaches, in addition to infrastructure are expected to draw more people here.

Price comparison
A row house, with three bedrooms and three terraces with an area of 1,59 sq ft, is priced at Rs 53.5 lakh. A 3BHK, plus 2T villa of 1,696 sq ft costs Rs 75.5 lakh. A bigger version of the same flat with 1,843 sq ft costs Rs 82 lakh. A 2,080-sq ft home costs Rs 92.6 lakh. The biggest of these apartments, with 2,225 sq ft, is priced at Rs 1 crore.
The apartments are priced at Rs 4,450 per square feet and is in the launching soon stage. In comparison to the locality, Casa Grande Elan is underpriced by around Rs 286 per sq ft. The highest price in the locality is for ZED Ria apartments, which are priced at Rs 5,500 per sq feet and are under construction.

PropTiger.com's Verdict

PropTiger.com has prepared a detailed report on Case Grande Elan called Prop Insight, which is available on its website. To access the report, login to PropTiger.com.

(Katya Naidu has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities)