In her eight years of running a gym on Joo Chiat Place, Ms Carol R Cabal, 62, has seen neighbouring businesses come and go. But since a wave of redevelopment works ended, one particular row of units has remained empty for months. The stretch of shuttered spaces on Joo Chiat Place – just off Joo Chiat Road – sits just two doors from her studio, standing out in a neighbourhood that has long been well-known as a popular heritage and lifestyle enclave.Ms Cabal, who is the co-owner of Tribody Fitness, recalled that the stretch was once home to a cluster of long-time tenants that attracted consistent foot traffic, including popular eateries, a bakery and a wooden furniture store.Today, the empty units are part of Atlassia, a redevelopment at 30 to 46 Joo Chiat Place. The site was previously occupied by a row of nine two-storey conservation shophouses dating back to 1935.
Developer K16 Development bought the properties en bloc for S$31.8 million (US$25.1 million) in 2021 and redeveloped the site to include residential units alongside the conserved shophouses. "Construction went on for about three years, and that period was very tough," said Ms Cabal. "It was dusty, disruptive and footfall dropped significantly."The development received its Temporary Occupation Permit in January 2025, said K16 Development. Nearby business owners told CNA TODAY that they had seen leasing signs go up shortly after.Now, over a year after development works wrapped up, the mood in the area remains subdued, said Ms Cabal.
