May 2022 BTO: Unit Analysis for Kim Keat Heights at Toa Payoh

One of the smallest projects in the May 2022 BTO, Kim Keat Heights at Toa Payoh will house rental flats within the same stacks as the rest of the units. We visited the site to check out its surroundings and do an analysis of the best units to pick if you are selecting a flat there.

BTO	Kim Keat Heights
Location	Lor 7 Toa Payoh
PLH model?	No
Total no. of units	385
Unit types	2-room Flexi, 3- and 4-room
No. of blocks	2
Highest storeys	27 to 36 storeys
Estimated completion date	3Q2027
Pricing	2-room Flexi 1: $162k to $206k 2-room Flexi 2: $215k to $263k 3-room: $289k to $373k 4-room: $420k to $559k
Nearest MRT station	Braddell MRT station (~11-min walk)
Primary schools within a 1-km radius*: *distance based on approximation, may differ depending on block	• First Toa Payoh Primary School • Kheng Cheng School • Pei Chun Public School
Amenities within walking distance	• Toa Payoh Lor 5 Food Centre (6-min walk) • Toa Payoh Lor 8 Market & Food Centre (~7-min walk) • Toa Payoh Lor 4 Market and Food Centre (~9-min walk) • Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre (~10-min walk)

Site visit

Site for Kim Keat Heights. The yellow building you see in front is part of Pei Chun Public School.

The back of the site, which will house the new Toa Payoh East community centre (the current one will shift here).

Along Lor 7 Toa Payoh. A relatively quiet road during a weekday afternoon, although traffic along this road may pick up during school drop-off and pick-up hours since it leads into Pei Chun Public School's driveway.

One of several hawker centres (at least four!) surrounding Kim Keat Heights and within walking distances. Lorong 8 Toa Payoh Market and Food Centre is one of the more popular hawker centres around the area.

The best units to pick for Kim Keat Heights

2-room stacks: 101, 103, 123 and 125

For the 2-room units, we would recommend opting for the ones at stacks 123 and 125, which are located at the block (39B) nearer to the bus stop. The walk to the MRT from this BTO project will take you more than 10 mins, so if you are looking to take the short bus ride to the station instead, living at block 39B will be more convenient.

While these two stacks are fronting the main road, it isn’t an overly busy one and it has only one bus running through it. Traffic may pick up during peak hours though, seeing as there's a school nearby.

Both these stacks are also likely to be sheltered from the peak of the hot afternoon sun thanks to neighbouring stacks, whereas stacks 101 and 103 are likely going to bear the brunt of the afternoon sun coming in from the south-west direction in certain periods of the year since the buildings in front of them won’t be able to fully block out the UV rays.

The upside to stacks 101 and 103 is that these stacks are likely going to have a relatively unblocked view for those living on the higher floors, since the buildings right in front of them aren’t very tall.

3-room stacks: 109, 111, 119 and 121

There are two different layouts for the 3-room units. One has the bomb shelter opening out into the walkway, while the other has the bomb shelter opening out into the kitchen (see below). With the latter, you get a smaller kitchen, but you can opt to create a dry and wet kitchen design and have the dry kitchen extending out from the original confines of the cooking space.

Our top pick for the 3-room stacks? 119, which is a corner unit so it will enjoy a bit more privacy from nosy neighbours walking by. It’s north-south orientation that isn’t obstructed by other stacks will likely also mean it will get breezier interiors.

It will not get much of the hot afternoon sun, as it’s partially blocked by a neighbouring stack and the main rooms on this stack don’t face an area with high levels of human activity e.g. playground, fitness corners, etc. so you will be able to enjoy a bit more quietude. The service yard for that stack is also set in a more open position, which is great if you tend to hang out clothes to dry. Bonus: it’s on the block that is closest to the bus stop!

The downside to it though is that it’s sandwiched between two other stacks, which isn’t ideal. But it isn’t a huge issue if you have nice neighbours who aren’t going to sing karaoke into the wee hours of the night.

4-room stacks: 105, 107, 113, 115, and 117

We’ll opt for stack 105 among the other 4-room unit stacks. This corner unit will likely be a bit more private and quieter, even though it’s facing the main road. Stacks 113 and 115 are facing the school, so you are likely going to be impacted by the noise levels there, while stack 117 overlooks the playground and fitness corner. Stack 107 overlooks the main road as well, but its downside is that it’s located right next to the rubbish chutes, so definitely not ideal.

Stack 105 will get quite a bit of afternoon sun, but its unblocked north-south orientation will mean you get a breezier interior.

Opt for a flat taller than 11/12 storeys (which is how tall the residential block in front of it is), and you may be able to enjoy some unblocked views.