Whitefield is a techie’s dream and nightmare. The place for jobs, and the place for traffic jams. The place for bustling apartments and the place for serene villas. Whitefield is Bangalore’s contradiction. In its growth you can see the microcosm of Bangalore’s growth itself.
Whitefield is a chaotic mix of IT companies, industries, retailers and residential properties. How did we get here?
The growth of Whitefield is partially the result of a domino effect set in motion with the establishment of the International Tech Park Limited (ITPL) way back in 1994.
This is Bangalore’s oldest tech park, a mammoth IT hub sprawled across 69 acres of land, housing every single software/hardware giant you can think of. But Whitefield’s skyline was not always dotted with steel and glass. There was a time when it solely consisted of starry skies, brown fields, and green farms. We look at Whitefield’s growth over the years.
Whitefield’s history: A farmer’s paradise
In the 19th century, the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar, allotted 4,000 acres of land to the European and Anglo Indian Association for members of their community to settle down.
Soon, agricultural farms were set up along with a few houses, churches, and a school. This settlement was named after D.S. White, who was the founder of the association, which originally had its roots in Chennai.
In the early 1900s, Whitefield was a farmer’s as well as a hunter’s paradise with plenty of duck, wildfowl, quail and partridge roaming around. The fresh, crisp air and lush green fields, wide open spaces with flower patches where the air was punctuated only by birdsong gave Whitefield a rustic charm that was unparalleled.
In 1907, Whitefield’s population was, hold your breath, a staggering 130! The salubrious climate with the vast green fields gave the residents a respite from the heat. The area soon became famous for growing mangoes.
The famous Kolar Gold Fields was also close by, about 50 km away, and Whitefield became a hub for those who worked in the fields, returning home to Whitefield after a hard day’s work at the mines. It is believed that Sir Winston Churchill used to stay at the Waverly Inn on his visits to Whitefield. The Inn still stands, now a house owned by long-time Whitefield resident, Vivian D’ Souza.
Whitefield also was known for the Joy ice cream factory, and later Sai Baba set up the Ashram, bringing more recognition to what was until then a quiet locality.
Change begins with the IT massive transformation
But after the appearance of ITPL, the original Whitefield disappeared almost overnight. The farms were replaced by hotels, the quaint little English houses gave way to cafes, and the open fields were taken over by looming apartments
and luxury villas.
Its once empty lanes and streets became clogged with traffic; a heaving mélange of school buses hurriedly ferrying children, busy-looking professionals rushing for meetings, and street vendors setting up their wares everywhere adding to the confusion. This speedy and momentous transformation changed thousands of lives as people from all over India came to Whitefield with dollar signs in their eyes.
International companies in the area now attract expats in large numbers, which is an opportunity for the canny real estate investor.
Whitefield has world class hospitals, five-star hotels, premium serviced guesthouses, fine dining restaurants that offer cuisines from across the world, malls, and multiplexes with everything in entertainment. The demographic profile has changed over the years, from simple, middle-class folk to cosmopolitan, urban, young professionals.
Infrastructure problems plague Whitefield
Bangalore has become what Mumbai was to starry eyed aspirants seeking a future in the movie industry and Whitefield is the centre of it all. It has expanded to become one of the largest tech hubs in Asia. But while housing and social infrastructure has boomed, the road infrastructure has not and this has become one of the biggest challenges for the area.
Whitefield became a mass of pot-holed roads, leading to traffic jams lasting for hours, messy footpaths that were death traps for pedestrians, and intersections that were accident zones with the lack of proper signal boxes.
Residents have protested vociferously in as many ways as they could but authorities have been slow on the uptake. Roads continue to be craters that become worse during the monsoons and connectivity is poor. The residents of Whitefield are frustrated but they put up with it because work, home, and schools are very accessible to each other.
The future of Whitefield lies in its connectivity
In the last couple of years, things have finally been looking up for Whitefield. Flyovers have been constructed, roads have been repaired, and ring roads and wider roads with multiple lanes are all in the offing.
But the biggest game changer is expected to be the upcoming Metro Rail, which will include this paradoxically outlying-yet-central suburb to the heart of Bangalore.
Work has already begun on the 15.5 km Byappanahalli-Whitefield stretch and is expected to be completed by 2020.
Existing connectivity
Two prime four-lane roads are here to connect this city with other parts of Bangalore.
Karnataka State Highway is intersecting both these roads. The Whitefield Railway Station is just 3 km from the center of the locality.
Reaching Kempegowda International Airport from the city will take at least 60 minutes by car. To reach Electronic City, you need to drive for 40 minutes from Whitefield.
Real estate in Whitefield
The Metro Rail project has been one of the biggest drivers of property prices in Whitefield with fluctuations nearly non-existent.
By the end of 2016, property prices hovered near an average of Rs 5,000 per sq ft as the crush of expatriate population pushed up demand for posh duplexes, villas, and premium apartments.
But the area also caters to the middle-income group with apartments priced between Rs 40-50 lakhs going up to Rs 1 crore, most of which are ready-move-in.
A rash of ‘boutique’ villas and apartments feature cutting edge amenities and plush facilities have sprouted in Whitefield.
There are no longer just apartments, but condominiums, and gated enclaves for sale in the area.
Top 10 Residential Properties in Whitefield
The team of Roofandfloor prepared a list of 10 projects which are worth investing.
- Assetz Marq: This under construction project is coming up near the Sai Baba Ashram. It is expected that is by October 2017, the process of giving possession to unit holders will start. Two and three BHK apartments here are available at a rate of Rs 4799 per sq ft.
- Desai Radiant: This is also an under construction project and the possession process will start from December 2017. 2 and 3 BHK apartments are available and the project claims to offer contemporary community living with well- designed interiors with the exteriors by a renowned architect.
- SNR White Petals: Located near Holy Cross School, this project offers 2 BHK and 3 BHK apartments at Rs 3,850 per sq ft.
- Sowparnika The Columns: With a choice of 2 BHK or 3 BHK units, this housing complex is coming up near to Apollo Medicals Whitefield. It offers spacious and skillfully designed units.
- Pavani Sarovar Phase 2: This residential complex is coming up near the Vydehi Hospital and has 2BHK, 3 BHK or 2.5 BHK units at a rate of Rs 4,250 per sq ft.
- UKN Miraya Garden: If you are looking for three BHK or four BHK apartments, then the apartments here are available at Rs 10,000/ sq ft.
- Malibu Rising City: Located close to Euro Kids, the two or three BHK units in this project will cost the homebuyer Rs 3,500/ sq ft. This complex is coming up near to Euro kids in Whitefield.
- Sunshine Silicon Oasis: This project is located near the MVJ College of Engineering. The prevailing rates of the apartments here are Rs 3,200 per sft.
- Alembic The Urban Forest: You can choose from two, three and four BHK apartments in this project, located near the MVJ PU College
- Subhodaya Laurus: The 2 BHK and 3 BHK apartments here are available at Rs 3,000 per sq ft. The project is located near the Hello Kids – Nation Kadugodi.
Summary
Whitefield is unknotting itself out of some of its biggest tangles but it is definitely not the end of all its challenges. High levels of pollution, water shortage, and other problems continue to haunt this once idyllic area. But there is no dearth of moneyed investors or young graduates or senior professionals who all come to Whitefield in search of better futures.
