HillV2 just opened its doors two weekends ago, on Saturday 6 September. That is, if just two tenants ready to receive their first customers count. There is Starbucks on the ground level, and Hillview Market Place (Cold Storage) on the second level. These two tenants were enough to draw a small crowd of residents from the neighbourhood.
Developed by Far East Organisation, HillV2 is a mixed development located at Hillview Rise, which is just off Hillview Avenue. It comprises retail space on the first and second levels, and 528 apartment units in the tower blocks.
When I first moved to my current home, this spot was occupied by a small HDB estate which comprised just a little over a dozen of blocks. There was a market, and a small number of shops. The entire estate was torn down, and then left vacant for a number of years. Then, with the upcoming Downtown Line having a station located at Hillview, at the junction of Hillview Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, it’s not surprising that there should be some commercial interest in this plot of land.
I did not expect HillV2 to complete so quickly. It’s still some time before the Hillview station opens. Nevertheless, it’s really nice to have some retail space so close by. The next closest place for me would be Rail Mall, though there are limited shops there. It’s also a little bit farther to walk.
There were only two tenants opened for business when I visited. The first is Starbucks, and the other is Hillview Market Place by Cold Storage. It’s a small beginning, but I’m seeing many other tenants listed in the mall’s directory.
I’m surprised to see Market Place because there’s already a Cold Storage nearby at Rail Mall, and also because Dean & Deluca was keenly featured when the HillV2 development was first announced. Dean & Deluca is still in the tenant directory.
F&B establishments form the bulk of the tenants, and these include: Black Angus Steakhouse, Blue Garden Korean BBQ, Cedele, Cold Stone Creamery, Cupcake Engineer, and Starker.
Other lifestyle and services tenants offer medical, dental, massage, pets, saloon, optometric, and laundry.
The latest trend in shopping mall design includes elements incorporating natural ventilation and embracing the natural outdoors. A great example is Greenwich V located at Seletar Road. The upper level of the small suburban shopping mall was “open air”. This is pretty much the same design at HillV2.
The open air upper level uses timber decked floors and is spotted with a couple of trees. The shop units are air-conditioned, of course, and there’s a sheltered corridor to get from shop to shop. Considering the design of the complex, there’s not going to be strong gusts of wind in this area, so I don’t anticipate even heavy rain to present a significant challenge for shoppers to stay dry.
What’s missing in HillV2? I wished there could be a little children’s playground. Many malls these days cater for the little ones as well. A play area is a plenty good reason for children to enjoy and look forward to visiting the mall. Maybe the children will turn that water feature in the upper level into their little wet play area.
It’s really cool to have a little neighbourhood shopping mall open in this area, and I think residents here will enjoy the convenience of shopping so near home.
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