Sta. Lucia Land adds nearly 180 hectares to landbank

LISTED developer Sta. Lucia Land, Inc. on Friday said it entered into 16 new joint venture agreements and acquired several properties outside Metro Manila, in line with plans to purchase up to 1,000 hectares (ha) of land this year.

RELATED STORIES Sta. Lucia opens 4th mall at Il Centro complex

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, Sta. Lucia said the new partnerships allowed it to expand its landbank by 142.33 hectares (ha) in Davao, Rizal, Pasig, Batangas and Laguna.
The company also acquired a total of 34.53 hectares in the provinces of Batangas and Iloilo.
“This is a testament to the continuing commitment of the company in focusing its projects in emerging and growing cities nationwide,” Sta. Lucia said.
Some of the projects are “extensions of existing developments,” such as Ponte Verde in Davao, Greenwoods Executive in Pasig, Metropolis East in Rizal, Golden Meadows in Laguna and Metropolis in Iloilo.
“We have new acquisitions almost every quarter. This year, we want to acquire up to 500 ha to 1,000 ha of land,” Sta. Lucia Chief Financial Officer David M. Dela Cruz said in a phone interview yesterday.
Asked about the joint venture model, he explained: “For example, we’re offered a 100-hectare lot and we develop it into 1,000 saleable lots. The ownership could be 50-50 or 60-40. The partner’s contribution is the land, and ours is development. We split the development according to the agreement.”
Originally incorporated in 1996 as Zipporah Mining and Industrial Corp., Sta. Lucia changed its primary purpose to that of a real estate company in 1996. Its portfolio consists of horizontal and vertical properties across the country, as well as a shopping mall in Cainta — the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall.
Shares in the company shed two centavos or 2.35% to end the week at 83 centavos apiece. —with report from Krista Angela Montealegre