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Emaar is planning a AED 12 bn development to make Dubai Creek Harbour a magnet for corporate tenants, with plans for a 300k sqm commercial and office district built around Dubai Square and the proposed Dubai Creek Tower, according to a press release.
REMEMBER- Dubai Square has been churning headlines. The newly announced business district will flank the AED 180 bn Dubai Square mega-mall, in what is set to be three times the size of the Burj Khalifa area in Downtown Dubai. The developer is also formally repositioning the redesigned Dubai Creek Tower as the district’s commercial anchor — after the project’s construction tender restart early this year — with port closures and pricing pressures pushing back its schedule.
A city behind the workplace: The development is planned around 75.5k homes for a projected population of 200k, with schools, healthcare facilities, and community retail. It also features direct, climate-controlled links to two on-site metro stations.
Why it matters: Dubai’s prime office stock is close to full. With vacancy rates in financial corridors like DIFC and One Central hovering near zero, corporate allocators have few options for large-floorplate space or regional headquarters. By retrofitting the commercial footprint into its residential masterplan, Emaar is creating a supply relief valve.
Meanwhile, Nakheel eyes Palm Springs community near Palm Jebel Ali
Nakheel is pushing into Dubai’s southern expansion corridor with Palm Springs, a 3.8 mn sqm residential masterplan bordering Palm Jebel Ali, according to a press release (pdf). Designed for roughly 50k residents across 15 neighborhoods, the development packs in villas, apartments, two schools, and a hospital. It sits near Al Maktoum International Airport and Expo City Dubai in the southern corridor where Nakheel is already building out Palm Jebel Ali.
REMEMBER- Nakheel awarded AED 3.5 bn in villa contracts at Palm Jebel Ali to Ginco General Contracting and United Engineering Construction. In September, it also awarded an AED 800 mn contract for 537 homes at Bay Grove Residences on Dubai Islands, due for completion in late 2028.
