Al Saadiyat is getting an AED 100 bn mega waterfront project

War or not, the megaprojects keep coming: Abu Dhabi developer Aldar Properties just launched an AED 100 bn Marsa Al Saadiyat waterfront project this week, it said in a press release — the developer's third major launch since May, and one of several megaprojects UAE developers have pushed out even as the region sits through an uneasy ceasefire.

Marsa Al Saadiyat is the last piece of the island's development and will house upwards of 58k residents across 6.4 mn sqm, with an 8-km waterfront, Abu Dhabi's largest marina, 5.6 km of beaches, 140 km of walking paths, a 46-km cycling track, two luxury hotels, three schools, healthcare facilities, and a retail and hospitality promenade.

The cultural draw: The project will include a theater district centred around Dar Al Funoon, and residents also will have direct access to the Saadiyat Cultural District through a waterfront walkway linking the development to several attractions, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

The transport pitch: an underground Etihad Rail high-speed station, new road and tunnel links to Reem Island and Umm Yifeenah Island, and a bridge to Aldar's planned offshore island development.

The timeline: Aldar said infrastructure works will begin in 3Q 2026, with the first residential sales set to launch in 2H 2026.

BACKGROUND- The project lands on top of Aldar's own plan to develop 20 mn-sqm worth of housing and mixed-use developments across Abu Dhabi, along with a AED 6 bn Yas Point waterfront project earlier this month, and Emaar's AED 200 bn project slate in Dubai. The signal: Capital allocators are still pricing multi-decade developments on a longer horizon than the news cycle.