Arada kicks off Riyadh operations with SAR50 billion land portfolio

Arada, one of the world's fastest-growing master developers, has announced the establishment of Arada KSA, a new real estate development company that will be responsible for delivering large-scale communities across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new entity has been founded in strategic partnership with XTOPIA, a community and lifestyle company developing integrated mixed-use destinations across the region.

Mohammed AlDhabaan, Chairman of XTOPIA, has been appointed Chairman of Arada KSA, reflecting the significance of the local partnership at the heart of the new company's foundation. Arada KSA has access to a significant 10 million square metre land bank across Saudi Arabia with a collective value of SAR50 billion, spanning key strategic locations including Riyadh, Jeddah and Makkah.

The entry into Saudi Arabia is the latest step in Arada's rapid global expansion. The company now has a project pipeline valued at SAR189 billion ($50 billion) across five markets, with a portfolio of more than 70,000 homes spanning the United Kingdom, Syria, Australia, the UAE and, with this announcement, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In total, Arada has completed 17,000 homes.

AlDhabaan said: "The establishment of Arada KSA marks a significant step forward for the development of world-class communities in the Kingdom. Our land bank, which features key strategic locations across the Kingdom, positions Arada KSA as a platform with genuine national scale and reach. Saudi Arabia's residential market has never offered more compelling long-term fundamentals, and the combination of Arada's global track record in community building with XTOPIA's deep local expertise creates a platform with real long-term potential for the Kingdom."

He added: "We embark on a new chapter in the Kingdom, with ambitions that match the future envisioned for its cities and communities, supported by a land portfolio of 10 million m² valued at SAR 50 billion across strategic locations such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Makkah. This gives Arada KSA a strong foundation to build a nationwide real estate development company. We want our launch in Riyadh to mark the beginning of a long-term journey to develop integrated communities across several cities in the Kingdom."

Mohammed AlDhabaan, Chairman of Arada KSA

Arada KSA's first project is a SAR14 billion residential master plan in the Al Rimal District of north-eastern Riyadh, one of the largest private real estate projects to be announced in the Saudi capital in recent years. Working in close partnership with the relevant government authorities, Arada KSA will develop a master plan for the site that is fully aligned with Saudi Arabia's housing vision and national development priorities.

The development will be delivered on a plot of approximately 2.5 million square metres and will comprise an estimated 3,500 villas and townhouses surrounded by 100,000 trees, with world-class amenities including a school, retail, a community centre and sporting facilities.

On the design approach behind the project, AlDhabaan said: "The success of any residential community depends on understanding how people live. We believe daily details, including mobility, access to services and green spaces, education, sports, and community interaction shape quality of life. At Arada KSA, we design communities that put people at the center of planning and create sustainable value beyond the home."     In Riyadh, that ambition is being advanced by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City through the Green Riyadh programme, which will plant 7.5 million trees across the capital and raise the per capita share of green space from 1.7 square metres to 28 square metres of the Quality of Life Programme, one of the Vision 2030 realisation programmes, which aims to establish Saudi cities among the most liveable in the world. In Riyadh, that ambition is being advanced by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City through the Green Riyadh programme, which will plant 7.5 million trees across the capital and raise the per capita share of green space from 1.7 square metres to 28 square metres by 2030.