Miramar hopes to make Tachih a trendier place

Hoping to add another landmark to the Taipei skyline following the completion of Taipei 101, the Miramar Entertainment Park (美麗華百樂園) is slated to open its doors for business in the increasingly favorable Tachih district in October with unmatched facilities to draw crowds to the area.

One of the park's eye-catching structures is its rooftop Ferris wheel, measuring 70m in diameter and the second-largest in Asia, after the wheel atop the Hip Five shopping center in Osaka, Japan.

"The wheel has 48 colored carriages and will bring a romantic element to our shopping mall," said Kevin Chen (陳育昌), marketing supervisor at Miramar Urban Development Co (美麗華城市發展).

Bathed by neon light in the evening, the wheel can carry 288 people at any one time.

Miramar Urban developed the idea for the shopping-center project about four years ago and began construction last year.

The five-floor center will also house the nation's first IMAX movie theater, a nine-screen theater complex, food courts and a 400-franchise department store, Chen said.

Although the project is fully funded by the Huang family -- the former owners of the defunct Taipei Hotel Miramar (美麗華飯店) -- no hotel will be built inside the shopping center for the moment.

However, a plot of land near the center has been reserved for the rebirth of the hotel, he added.

With significant spending power in the area, especially with the Neihu Technology Park situated nearby employing tens of thousands of white-collar workers, Chen said it was hoped the complex would attract not only local residents but also tourists from central and southern Taiwan.

"We are optimistic that the Miramar, situated between the National Palace Museum and the Martyrs' Shrine, will become a hot spot for tourism," Chen said.

Tachih has lured some retailers and businesses, with Ministry of Sound, Asia's biggest purpose-built club, already opening in March.

In addition, a Far Eastern Geant (愛買吉安) hypermarket is scheduled to open in Neihu next year, company president Charles Kruse said last month.

Alexander Health Club (亞力山大俱樂部) and another hypermarket operator, Carrefour Corp Taiwan, are also holdings talks to set up shop in the area, Chen said.

But in stark contrast to the company's rosy outlook for the area, real estate consultancies were more reserved.

Maggie Chiu (邱秀凰), manager of CB Richard Ellis Limited, pointed out that specialization would play a major role in the performance of the new facility.

"Unless they introduce special brands or add unique themes to achieve a distinct `market segment,' it will be difficult to keep customer traffic," Chiu said.

The MRT's Neihu line, due to open in 2007, places a station right in front of the Miramar, but until construction is completed, uncertainties lie ahead for the new shopping center, she added.

Another property expert agreed that it is too early to say whether the area would evolve into a mature commercial district such as Hsinyi.

"It takes time to develop an area and cultivate a customer base," said Wendy Hsueh (薛惠珍), director of research at DTZ Debenham Tie Leung.