Roxy Square
Overview & Key Facts
Roxy Square is one of the most unusual residential addresses in Singapore — a 26-unit apartment component perched atop one of District 15’s most storied mixed-use complexes. At 50 East Coast Road in the heart of Katong, the Roxy Square development spans three phases built between the early 1980s and 2000, encompassing 296 retail shops, the 576-room Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel, and a small clutch of residential apartments above. The result is something genuinely unlike most condo comparables: not a gated stand-alone estate but a living urban quarter where your lobby shares a postcode with a hotel, a wet market, and a row of Peranakan pastry shops.
The tenure structure adds another layer of interest. Roxy Square’s residential units sit on a 9,999-year leasehold commencing 1995 — a tenure class that predates Singapore’s shift to standard 99-year terms and is, for all practical purposes, treated as freehold by buyers, bankers, and valuers alike. In a market where freehold commands a persistent premium, that distinction matters. So does the ongoing en-bloc narrative: owners have been pursuing a collective sale at prices ranging from S$930 million to S$1.25 billion, with the most recent attempt at S$1.115 billion closing tender in early 2025. Whether en-bloc eventually transacts shapes the entire investment calculus.
Against a backdrop of new launches at S$2,461–2,790 psf, Roxy Square’s average transacted psf of approximately S$1,792 and median quantum of S$1,080,000 reflect the pricing reality of a small, older residential stock embedded inside a commercial complex. That gap is both the opportunity and the caveat — and unpacking which side dominates for which buyer is the core work of this review.
Location & Connectivity
The location credentials at Roxy Square are, in a word, exceptional. Marine Parade MRT (TE26) on the Thomson-East Coast Line sits just 260 metres from the development — an honest three-minute walk on flat ground. This places Roxy Square in the “genuine step-out MRT” tier: the kind of walkability that moves the needle for both owner-occupiers weighing car-dependency and investors pricing tenant demand. From Marine Parade, the TEL runs direct to Orchard in roughly 16 minutes, Gardens by the Bay in 20 minutes, and Shenton Way in about 22 minutes — a commute profile that simply did not exist for this corridor before the TEL Stage 4 opening on 23 June 2024. Marine Terrace MRT (TE27) and Tanjong Katong MRT (TE25) are also within 1.2 km, giving residents effectively three TEL stations within easy reach.
For drivers, the East Coast Parkway (ECP) is accessible in under two minutes via Marine Parade Road, placing the CBD at roughly 12–15 minutes off-peak and Changi Airport at a similar driving distance eastward. The Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) via Still Road is approximately eight minutes away. Bus connectivity is dense along East Coast Road, with multiple routes heading to the CBD, Tampines, and Bedok Interchange.
The everyday-life layer is where Roxy Square’s mixed-use character becomes a genuine asset. Katong’s F&B and cultural scene — Peranakan restaurants, the original Katong laksa belt, artisan bakeries, and the stretch of boutique cafes along East Coast Road — is literally at street level below. Parkway Parade, one of the more established suburban malls in the east, is a five-minute walk. East Coast Park’s 15 km of waterfront cycling and jogging is a seven-minute walk via the Marine Parade underpass.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CHIJ (Katong) Primary | primary | Within 1 km |
| Canadian International School (Tanjong Katong) | international | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Girls' School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Broadrick Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| EtonHouse International School (Broadrick) | international | Within 1 km |
| Tao Nan School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Tanjong Katong Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Haig Girls' School | primary | ~1.2 km |
Facilities
Facilities at Roxy Square must be understood in their mixed-use context. The residential component does not carry the full facilities suite of a stand-alone condo estate — there is no large clubhouse, no tennis court, no children’s waterplay zone. What residents do have is a swimming pool and gymnasium within the residential precinct, plus something no conventional condo can replicate: the entire Roxy Square commercial complex as an extended backyard. The 296-unit retail podium below includes supermarket access, food courts, a wet market, and a concentration of specialist F&B outlets that most condo facilities committees could never budget for. The Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel adds concierge-adjacent services, restaurants, and event facilities within the same building cluster.
“Mixed-use addresses like Roxy Square redefine what ‘facilities’ means. When your ground floor is a shopping centre and your street is one of Singapore’s richest F&B corridors, the on-site pool starts to feel like a nice-to-have rather than the main event.”
— Stacked Homes editorial on mixed-use developments
The practical trade-off is noise and activity exposure. Living atop an active commercial and hotel complex means ambient noise from deliveries, F&B ventilation, hotel operations, and East Coast Road traffic is a genuine daily reality rather than an occasional nuisance. Buyers who have spent time in comparable mixed-use addresses — such as residential units above Novena Square or Velocity@Novena Square — will have a calibrated sense of what this means. For others, a site visit at multiple times of day (including weekends and public holidays when the retail podium peaks) is strongly recommended before committing.
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 3 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $840,000 to $1,088,000, averaging $1,002,667 (~$1,792 psf).
Rents range from $1,800 to $5,100 per month across 54 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.1%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 28.6% (from $1,394 to $1,792 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The meaningful comparison for Roxy Square is not against D15 mega-launches but against the narrow set of genuine mixed-use or boutique freehold/near-freehold addresses in the Katong-Marine Parade corridor. Grand Dunman (1,008 units, S$2,537 psf, 99-yr from 2022), Emerald of Katong (846 units, S$2,640 psf, 99-yr from 2023), The Continuum (816 units, S$2,790 psf, freehold), and Tembusu Grand (638 units, S$2,461 psf, 99-yr) all sit at psf levels 37–56% above Roxy Square’s recent average. They offer fresh leases, comprehensive facilities, and large gated estates — none of which Roxy Square offers. Amber Park (S$2,540 psf, freehold) anchors the freehold premium tier.
Within the boutique and mixed-use subset, Roxy Square’s strongest differentiators are the 9,999-year tenure, the 260m Marine Parade MRT proximity, and the embedded commercial ecosystem. No comparable development in D15 currently combines all three. The en-bloc trajectory is the factor that most directly separates Roxy Square from the rest of the comparison set — a successful collective sale would crystallise the site value premium in a way that standard price appreciation cannot replicate for a 26-unit development otherwise subject to thin transaction volume and slow price discovery.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROXY SQUARE | 9999 yrs lease commencing from 1995 | — | 26 | $1,792 |
| GRAND DUNMAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 1,008 | $2,537 |
| EMERALD OF KATONG | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2023 | 2024 | 846 | $2,640 |
| THE CONTINUUM | Freehold | 2023 | 816 | $2,790 |
| TEMBUSU GRAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 638 | $2,461 |
| AMBER PARK | Freehold | 2021 | 592 | $2,540 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates ROXY SQUARE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The Marine Parade MRT is genuinely three minutes out the door. Before the TEL opened this felt like a backwater for public transport — now it feels like one of the better-connected addresses in the east. We haven’t used the car for weekday commutes since 2024.”
— Owner-occupier, via HardwareZone property forum
“Tenant turnaround has been very fast. We have had three different expat tenants since 2022 — the CIS Tanjong Katong proximity is what keeps coming up in viewing feedback. Rents have held well even as the broader market softened slightly in late 2024.”
— Landlord review via PropertyGuru reviews
“The mixed-use nature is a real trade-off you have to experience to understand. Saturday mornings when the market and retail floors peak, you hear it. But step out the door and you have Katong laksa, a good bakery, and a Cold Storage all within 300 metres. For us that balance works perfectly — just do not expect a resort condo atmosphere.”
— Resident review via Singapore Expats community
Resident sentiment at Roxy Square is shaped almost entirely by whether buyers entered with realistic expectations of the mixed-use environment. Those who did consistently rate the location, the MRT walkability, and the urban lifestyle convenience highly. Critical observations focus on ambient noise from the hotel and retail podium — particularly on weekends — and on the age-related condition of units in the residential floors. No significant complaints around management or security have surfaced in publicly available forum threads.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- 260m walk to Marine Parade MRT (TEL) — best-in-class MRT walkability for D15
- 9,999-year tenure from 1995 — effectively freehold for all practical purposes
- Embedded Roxy Square shopping centre and Grand Mercure Hotel as extended amenity
- CHIJ (Katong) Primary at 360m — inside the 1km Phase 2C priority catchment
- Canadian International School (Tanjong Katong) at 0.54km — strong expat-tenant draw
- Katong cultural belt at doorstep — Peranakan F&B, cafes, East Coast Road lifestyle
- Significant en-bloc upside potential — collective sale at S$1.115B actively pursued
- Strong rental demand evidenced by 54 transactions from 26 units (2× turnover ratio)
- East Coast Park 7-minute walk via Marine Parade underpass
- Three TEL stations within 1.2km — Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Tanjong Katong
- Ambient noise from hotel, retail operations, and East Coast Road traffic is a daily reality
- En-bloc uncertainty — collective sale overhang complicates renovation and long-hold decisions
- Only 26 residential units — very thin transaction liquidity and slow price discovery
- No stand-alone condo facilities (no clubhouse, no tennis court, no children's zone)
- Age of development means resale units typically require S$40,000–80,000 in cosmetic refresh
- Mixed-use environment unsuitable for buyers who prioritise resort-style serenity
- 3.06% gross yield is modest relative to boutique D15 comparables at similar quantum
- Weekend and peak-retail periods significantly increase foot traffic and ambient activity
- Limited unit-orientation choice given small stock size — rear-stack availability is constrained
Verdict
Roxy Square is a development that demands an unusually clear-eyed buyer brief. For the right profile — someone who genuinely prizes walkable MRT access, the cultural texture of Katong, and the convenience of a live mixed-use address — it offers a combination that no new launch in District 15 currently replicates at comparable quantum. The 9,999-year tenure, 260m proximity to Marine Parade MRT, and embedded retail ecosystem make it a compelling buy-to-live or buy-to-let case in isolation.
The complicating factor is the en-bloc overhang. Owners have been pursuing collective sale at S$930M–S$1.25B — with the latest attempt at S$1.115B closing tender in early 2025 without a reported transacted deal at the time of writing. En-bloc uncertainty cuts both ways: a successful deal would deliver a significant windfall to unit owners (residences represent a small fraction of the site value dominated by hotel and retail); a failed deal leaves a development that will age further without the capital injection of a rebuild cycle. Buyers must form a view on en-bloc probability before purchasing, and should take independent legal advice on the implications of being caught mid-way through a collective sale process.
As a pure investment in the interim: the 3.06% gross yield is modest relative to boutique D15 comparables but reflective of the higher median quantum. The structural rental demand case — Marine Parade MRT, CIS proximity, the Katong expat belt — is sound. As an own-stay: the lifestyle case is strong for a specific buyer who wants urban texture over gated serenity. As a capital play: the en-bloc narrative is the dominant variable and should be stress-tested carefully.