Agate Tower & Aris Tower @ The Peninsula
Two towers of commercial suites on the reclaimed waterfront next to Jesselton Point and Suria Sabah — Agate, the first and further along, and Aris, the seafront second phase due years later. Same address, two timelines, two sets of layouts.
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Agate & Aris Tower at a glance
Agate Tower and Aris Tower are two towers of 919 commercial suites at The Peninsula, a 14.89-acre reclaimed waterfront masterplan beside the Jesselton Point ferry terminal in the city centre of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, developed by Trillium Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Sabah's MK Group. Both are sold as commercial suites aimed at short-stay letting, on a 99-year lease according to the developer fact sheets. Agate (Phase 1) has 408 suites over 28 storeys, 556 to 1,149 sq ft, and is under construction with completion expected in 2027. Aris (Phase 2) — which the developer's website now calls Aris Suites — has 511 suites over 30 storeys, from a 531 sq ft studio to a 1,065 sq ft dual key, broke ground on 1 September 2025 and is targeted for 2029. The one thing every buyer must ask: no car park bay comes with a unit — the brochures list 223 car parks at Agate and 165 at Aris, so ask how parking is allocated. What the developer's papers still do not give is the land title details, a licence or advertising permit number, a finishes schedule and a count of units per type.
- Development
- Agate Tower & Aris TowerPhases 1 and 2 of The Peninsula KK · Aris is also sold as Aris Suites
- Developer
- Trillium Development Sdn BhdSubsidiary of MK Group, as reported
- Tenure
- Leasehold 99 yearsClassed as commercial in the developer fact sheets
- Agate Tower
- 408 suites · 28 storeysPlus 24 retail units · 19 suites per floor
- Aris Tower
- 511 suites · 30 storeysPlus 53 retail units · 20 suites per floor
- Sizes
- Agate 556–1,149 · Aris 531–1,065 sq ftAris: 531, 826, 1,059 and 1,065 sq ft per its brochure
- Parking
- No bay included with unitsBrochures: 223 car parks at Agate, 165 at Aris
- Completion
- Agate 2027 · Aris 2029Agate dates differ by source — ask
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Six things worth knowing before you view
Three are the reasons people buy here. Three are the things you should check in writing before you sign.
The city waterfront, on new land
The Peninsula sits on 14.89 acres of reclaimed land beside the Jesselton Point ferry terminal and next to Suria Sabah, in the city centre. The developer says reclamation took about seven years, five of them for approvals. Aris, in the developer's words, sits directly in front of the sea.
Designed for short-stay letting
Both towers are marketed as investment suites for the short-stay market: studios from 531 sq ft and dual-key units around 1,000 sq ft, next to the ferries to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park and a planned 423-room Grandis hotel in the same masterplan. The brochures list a centralised concierge for check-in, digital locksets, 24-hour CCTV and a housekeeping and laundry service, with terms that are not spelled out — ask for them.
A masterplan, not a lone tower
Nine towers are planned over six phases: two hotels, further suite towers, an office tower, a mall, a retail block, two low-density residential towers, an elevated park linking the towers and a seafront boardwalk — 650 metres in the press, over 500 metres in the developer's brochures — with a reported value of RM3.5 billion.
No parking bay comes with your unit
The developer fact sheets are explicit: units do not include a car park bay. Agate's brochure lists 223 car parks on five levels and Aris's lists 165 on five levels, while each fact sheet quotes 224 — on any reading, far fewer bays than the 919 suites and 77 retail units. Ask how parking is allocated, whether bays are sold or leased, and what that costs.
Commercial suites, not residential titles
The official material calls every unit a commercial suite, and the developer fact sheets class both towers as commercial. That usually means a commercial title category, which can affect utility and assessment rates, loan terms and short-stay rules. The title details and the lease dates are not in the developer's papers — ask for them in writing.
Two towers, two very different dates
Agate is under construction and expected in 2027, though sources give different quarters. Aris only broke ground in September 2025 and is targeted for 2029 — and the whole masterplan is described as an eight-to-ten-year build, so expect construction around you for years.
The two towers, decoded
The brochure calls both towers The Peninsula, but they are not the same product and not on the same clock. Agate Tower is Phase 1: 408 suites on 28 storeys, six layouts from a 556 sq ft studio to a 1,149 sq ft three-room suite, with an infinity pool, gym and observation deck, and completion expected in 2027. Aris Tower is Phase 2: 511 suites on 30 storeys, four layouts — a 531 sq ft studio, an 826 sq ft one-room suite and two dual-key units of 1,059 and 1,065 sq ft — closer to the sea, with completion targeted for 2029. If you want to hold sooner, you are looking at Agate; if you want the seafront position and can wait, Aris.
Ten layouts, two towers, three ways to buy
Agate studios · 556 & 628 sq ft
Type A1: a 556 sq ft studio and Type A2: a 628 sq ft studio, each with one bathroom. These are the units the developer built Agate around — the short-stay key — and they are larger than many new KK studios. Portal listings show each type varying by a few square feet between positions (A1 556–563, A2 628–639), so check the exact figure for your unit. The typical floor plan — the brochure's version is in the gallery below — has three A1 studios on the tower-view side (units 17 to 19) and ten A2 studios spread over the garden, hotel and sea-view sides — thirteen of the nineteen suites on a floor are studios. The business press reported Agate at about RM1,000 psf in April 2025.
Agate suites · 945–1,149 sq ft
Types B1 (945 sq ft) and B3 (1,032 sq ft) are dual-key units: two rooms and two bathrooms that can be let as two keys or used as one. Type B2 (1,019 sq ft) is a conventional two-room suite with two bathrooms, and Type B4 (1,140 sq ft, up to 1,149 in some positions) is a three-room suite with two bathrooms — the largest layout in either tower. The same typical floor plan has three B1 units (05, 10 and 13A) and a single B2, B3 and B4 (units 09, 16 and 15), most of them on the sea-view wing; the developer's presentation quotes B3 from 1,021 sq ft, so check the area of your unit. If you want to live in part and let part, B1 and B3 are the ones to look at.
Aris Tower · 531–1,065 sq ft
Aris has four layouts, and the Aris brochure prints a size for each: Type B, a 531 sq ft studio; Type A, an 826 sq ft one-room suite; Type DK, a 1,065 sq ft dual key; and Type DKC, a 1,059 sq ft corner dual key. The dual keys have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. By my reading of the brochure's typical floor of 20 suites — shown in the gallery below — twelve are Type B studios, four are Type A suites at the corners and four are dual keys; the sunset-ocean side holds units 12 to 19 and the garden-ocean side units 01 to 09. An April 2025 business-press report, before groundbreaking, gave 533 to 1,357 sq ft; the brochure is the later document. Press reported Aris from about RM500,000 (around RM1,000 psf) in September 2025; an earlier report said RM1,100 psf.
Facilities, tower by tower
Agate's list is from its brochure and the developer's Agate page; Aris's is from the Aris brochure, whose facilities plan numbers fifteen items on one deck. Neither says which level the deck is on, so ask — and ask whether owners in one tower can use the other's. The developer's papers contain no finishes or specification schedule for either tower; ask for it before you sign.
Agate Tower
- Infinity pool with sea views
- Gymnasium
- Observation deck
- Grand lobby, reception and lounge
- 24 retail units
- 223 car parks on five levels
- 4 + 1 lifts
Aris Tower
- Infinity pool, kids' pool and jacuzzi
- Pool lounge and Sunset Pavilion
- The Horizon and Golden Hour Lounge
- Gym and laundry
- Grand lobby and lounge
- 53 retail units with food and beverage outlets
- 165 car parks on five levels
- 4 + 1 lifts
Running the suites
- Centralised concierge for check-in
- Digital lockset on each suite
- 24-hour CCTV security system
- Energy-saving system
- Housekeeping and laundry service (terms apply)
- Maintenance incl. sinking fund: Agate RM0.50 psf
- Maintenance incl. sinking fund: Aris RM0.60 psf
The professional team
- Architect: GDP Architects
- Interior design: RDM Design
- Landscape: L49 (Thailand)
- M&E engineering: Li-Zainal
- Structural engineering: Fromweb
- Piling: Ap-Col Geotechnics
- Main contractor: Sinohydro Corporation (M)
How the project got here
All 10 Agate & Aris floor plans
Every plan below is the developer's own drawing. Agate's six sizes and room counts are printed in its brochure and on the developer's Agate page; the developer's presentation quotes them as starting sizes, and portal listings show each type varying by a few square feet between positions. Aris's four sizes are printed in the Aris brochure: 531, 826, 1,059 and 1,065 sq ft. Neither brochure gives a count of units per type; what I say about the mix is read off the two typical floor plans, which are in the gallery below.
Agate A1 — 556 sq ft studio
Get this floor plan
Agate A2 — 628 sq ft studio
Get this floor plan
Agate B1 — 945 sq ft dual key
Get this floor plan
Agate B2 — 1,019 sq ft two-room suite
Get this floor plan
Agate B3 — 1,032 sq ft dual key
Get this floor plan
Agate B4 — 1,140 sq ft three-room suite
Get this floor plan
Aris Type A — 826 sq ft one-room suite
Get this floor plan
Aris Type B — 531 sq ft studio
Get this floor plan
Aris Type DK — 1,065 sq ft dual key
Get this floor plan
Aris Type DKC — 1,059 sq ft corner dual key
Get this floor planInside The Peninsula
Where Agate and Aris Tower sit
On reclaimed land at the northern edge of Kota Kinabalu's city centre, beside the Jesselton Point ferry terminal and next to Suria Sabah shopping mall. The developer gives the sales gallery address as Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000. The brochures put the new Tunku Abdul Rahman Park jetty within walking distance; the developer's presentation describes that jetty as a Sabah State Government project next to The Peninsula and the main gateway to the islands of the marine park.
The map is set to the coordinates the developer publishes for The Peninsula, about 5.975° N, 116.072° E. The towers are under construction, so street maps may not show them yet.
- Jesselton Point ferry terminalNext doorper The Edge and the developer
- Suria Sabah shopping mallNext doorper Daily Express
- Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine ParkBy boatthe new state jetty is within walking distance per the brochures; no journey time published
- Jesselton Mall, SICC, Gaya StreetMinutes awaydeveloper's presentation, no figure given
- Kota Kinabalu International AirportNo figure publishedask me for a real-traffic estimate
- Long-distance bus and taxi stationsNearbyportal figure, no time given
- SK Sacred Heart, Kian Kok Middle SchoolNearbyportal figure, no time given
Why there is no federal register table on this page
Peninsular project pages on this website carry a table read from teduh.kpkt.gov.my, the federal housing register. Sabah is outside that register by design — Sabah licenses housing developers under its own Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Enactment 1978 — so a Sabah project will not appear there however you search.
What to ask on Agate and Aris
Ask which licence and permit each tower is sold under. The developer fact sheets class both Agate and Aris as commercial, and neither the fact sheets nor the brochures print a developer licence or advertising permit number. Whether a housing-development licence even covers a commercial suite depends on how the land and building are approved — which is exactly why the paperwork should be in your hands before you sign. Ask for the land title details too: the 99-year lease is stated, its start and expiry dates are not. The company named on the brochures is Trillium Development Sdn Bhd, registration 2016024517 (1195456-V).
Ask how parking is allocated. Units do not come with a car park bay. Get the arrangement — sale, lease, season parking, or none — in writing.
Foreign buyers
Sabah sets its own threshold for non-citizens and runs its own consent process, and the figures quoted conflict: RM1,000,000 in the Bar Council state table, with a lower strata figure also in circulation. A commercial suite may be treated differently from a residential home. Non-citizens also pay a flat 8% stamp duty on residential purchases since 1 January 2026; whether and how that applies to a commercial-titled suite is a question for your solicitor. Get written confirmation for your exact unit and price through a Sabah conveyancing solicitor before you pay anything.
About Trillium Development Sdn Bhd and MK Group
The developer is Trillium Development Sdn Bhd (registration 2016024517 / 1195456-V), named on the official project website and in every press report. The business press describes it as a subsidiary of MK Group, a Sabah group whose roots go back to the Ming Kiang Bookstore opened on Jalan Gaya in 1957 by the late Datuk Chu Kok Keng. Trillium's chief executive is Clement Chu; Dr Lawrence Chu has been named as chief executive of the Ming Kiang Group.
The group has built its reputation mainly outside housing — the press cites government projects and oil palm estates. The Peninsula appears to be its first large property development under the Trillium name, and I could not find a completed residential project by Trillium itself. That is not a red flag on its own, but it means there is no delivery record for this developer to check yet.
The masterplan is large and long. The Peninsula is reported at RM3.5 billion over five to six phases and eight to ten years: Agate and a Grandis hotel in Phase 1, Aris and a 52-unit retail block in Phase 2, then commercial towers, an office tower, a five-star hotel, a mall and two low-density residential towers. The developer's own presentation sets out six phases — Agate and the Grandis hotel; Aris; a third suite tower; an office tower and shopping mall; a five-star hotel, a fourth suite tower and a link building; and two residential towers — and the Aris brochure counts 53 retail units. Reports describe the Grandis hotel as both three-star and four-star, with about 423 rooms and completion by 2028.
The design team named on the developer's website is GDP Architects, RDM Design (interiors), L49 (landscape) and Li-Zainal (M&E). The developer's presentation adds Fromweb as structural engineer, Ap-Col Geotechnics as piling contractor and Sinohydro Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd as main contractor. I searched for litigation, winding-up and Housing Tribunal claims against Trillium Development and found none reported — which is no adverse record found, not a clean bill of health.
Frequently asked questions
Are Agate Tower and Aris Tower one project or two?
Both are part of The Peninsula Kota Kinabalu by Trillium Development, but they are separate phases. Agate Tower is Phase 1: 408 suites, 28 storeys, expected to complete in 2027. Aris Tower is Phase 2: 511 suites, 30 storeys, groundbreaking on 1 September 2025 and targeted for 2029.
They have different layouts, different completion dates and, in the developer fact sheet, different maintenance estimates: RM0.50 psf including the sinking fund at Agate and RM0.60 psf at Aris. Treat them as two purchases that happen to share an address.
Does a unit at Agate or Aris Tower come with a car park bay?
No. The developer fact sheets state that units do not come with a car park bay. Agate's brochure lists 223 car parks on five levels and Aris's lists 165 on five levels; each fact sheet quotes 224. Whichever figure applies, there are far fewer bays than the 919 suites.
Ask how parking is allocated: whether bays can be bought or leased, whether there is season parking, what it costs, and whether short-stay guests can park. Get the answer in writing.
When will Agate Tower and Aris Tower be completed?
Agate: the developer fact sheet gives 48 months from the sale and purchase agreement, estimated Q1 2027; press in September 2025 said Q2 2027; a construction database listed a September 2026 target. Aris: targeted for 2029, per the fact sheet (Q4 2029) and press.
The date that binds the developer is the vacant-possession period in your agreement. Read that clause, not the brochure.
What are the prices at Agate Tower and Aris Tower?
In April 2025 the business press reported Agate at about RM1,000 psf and Aris at about RM1,100 psf. In September 2025 the press reported Aris from about RM500,000, or around RM1,000 psf. I have not found a published developer price list.
Prices differ by floor, view and type. I take the current price list and availability directly from the developer and will send them to you.
Are these residential apartments or commercial suites?
The official material calls them commercial suites, the developer fact sheets class both towers as commercial, and both are on a 99-year lease. The title details themselves — title number, lease start and expiry — are not in the developer's brochures.
A commercial title usually matters for utility and assessment rates, loan margins and what short-stay letting is permitted. Ask for the title category and any building rules on short-stay letting in writing before you book.
Why do the Aris sizes differ between reports?
An April 2025 business-press report, before groundbreaking, gave Aris as 533 to 1,357 sq ft. The Aris brochure and the developer's presentation now print four sizes — Type B studio 531 sq ft, Type A one-room suite 826 sq ft, Type DKC corner dual key 1,059 sq ft and Type DK dual key 1,065 sq ft — which matches the fact sheet's range of 531 to 1,065 sq ft.
The brochure is the later document, so I take its figures and treat the larger sizes in the early report as superseded. The figure that binds is still the area printed in your sale and purchase agreement.
Can a foreigner buy at The Peninsula?
Possibly, but Sabah sets its own rules and consent process, the non-citizen threshold is quoted inconsistently (RM1,000,000 in the Bar Council state table, lower strata figures also circulate), and a commercial suite may be treated differently from a home.
Get written confirmation for your exact unit and price through a Sabah conveyancing solicitor, and ask how the flat 8% stamp duty for non-citizens, in force since 1 January 2026, applies to your purchase.
What has not been published?
A developer licence or advertising permit number; the land title details and lease dates; a finishes and specification schedule; the count of units per type in either tower; and how parking is allocated.
Every one of these can be answered in writing. Ask for them before you pay a booking fee.
Where are Agate Tower and Aris Tower located?
Both towers are at The Peninsula Kota Kinabalu, on reclaimed land off Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens in the city centre of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, beside the Jesselton Point ferry terminal and next to Suria Sabah shopping mall.
The developer's material also describes Jesselton Mall, the Sabah International Convention Centre and Gaya Street as minutes away, without giving distances. The map on this page uses the coordinates the developer publishes.
What unit types and sizes do Agate Tower and Aris Tower have?
Agate Tower has six: studios A1 (556 sq ft) and A2 (628 sq ft), dual keys B1 (945 sq ft) and B3 (1,032 sq ft), the two-room B2 (1,019 sq ft) and the three-room B4 (1,140 sq ft). Aris Tower has four: studio B (531 sq ft), one-room suite A (826 sq ft) and dual keys DKC (1,059 sq ft) and DK (1,065 sq ft).
These are the brochure figures. Units of the same type vary by a few square feet with position — the developer's presentation quotes the Agate sizes as starting figures, and B4 reaches 1,149 sq ft — so check the area printed in your agreement.
Agate sooner, or Aris on the seafront?
Tell me which tower and which layout, and I will send you what is actually left, the size schedule, the maintenance estimate and the parking arrangement — the four things that decide The Peninsula for most buyers. I take the price list and availability directly from the developer.
No agent fee payable by the buyer on new developer launches
Louis Koh
11 years in Malaysian property · Johor Bahru & Kuala Lumpur new launches · English & 中文
I work with cross-border buyers from Singapore and with local investors. I'll tell you when a project isn't right for you — that's usually worth more than the brochure.
Published 2026-10-05 · Last verified 2026-10-05 against the developer's official Peninsula KK, Agate and Aris pages, the Agate and Aris brochures, the developer's presentation and fact sheets, and reporting in The Edge, Daily Express and Borneo Post. Unit availability, pricing, parking and completion dates are set by the developer and subject to change. This page is marketing information, not an offer or a contract.
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Developer: Trillium Development (1 development on this site)
Where it is: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah