Search for "The Light City price" and you'll find adverts quoting a single figure, as if it were one condominium. It isn't. The Light City is a 32.76-acre precinct inside IJM's Light Waterfront in Gelugor, and it holds two very different residential buildings, a mall that opens on 29 October 2026, the state's biggest convention centre and a future LRT station. Which of those you're actually buying into is the whole decision.
Key takeaways:
- The Light City is a precinct by IJM Perennial (IJM with Singapore's Perennial Holdings), not a single condo.
- Two residential projects: Mezzo (456 homes, completed 2025, resale from about RM1M) and Lightwater Residences (262 homes, due 1Q 2029, from about RM2.05M).
- The Waterfront Shoppes soft-opens 29 October 2026; two hotels are planned in the precinct's mixed-use tower.
- The Mutiara Line's Penang Waterfront (The Light) station is due in December 2031.
What's actually in it
IJM Perennial is developing The Light City as an integrated precinct with a total value reported at over RM4.5 billion. Its parts:
- Mezzo: 456 freehold two- and three-bedrooms of about 1,033–1,367 sq ft in two 34-storey towers. Launched 2021, completed 2025.
- Lightwater Residences: 262 freehold homes of about 1,152–3,186 sq ft in two 34-storey towers. Launched February 2025, due in the first quarter of 2029. IJM calls it the precinct's second and final residential project.
- The Waterfront Shoppes: about 1.6 million sq ft and around 300 shops, soft-opening on 29 October 2026.
- Penang Waterfront Convention Centre: the state's largest convention venue.
- Hotels: JdV by Hyatt (156 rooms) and Galaxy Minyoun (303 rooms) are planned in a 34-storey mixed-use tower. Their opening dates have moved several times.
Next door, but outside The Light City itself, IJM Land's Merione tower adds 145 homes (Merione Residences, due December 2029) above a commercial podium, and the older Light Waterfront phases — The Light Linear, The Light Point and The Light Collection I–IV — make up the rest of the seafront.
Which home to buy inside it
Mezzo is the finished, more affordable option. Resale asking prices run from about RM1M to RM1.5M, so the cheapest units ask about 10% above their 2021 launch. It's the closest completed home to the mall, and its asking rents of about RM3,600–6,000 a month make it the precinct's best rental case. Homes were handed over bare, so budget for a fit-out. Full review: Mezzo @ The Light City.
Lightwater is the flagship. It launched at about RM1,780 per sq ft and late-2025 prices run about RM1,810–1,870, among the highest new-launch rates in Penang. You get private lift lobbies, a sky terrace and layouts up to about 3,186 sq ft, but you wait until 2029. Full review: Lightwater Residences.
The gap between them is large: Mezzo asks roughly RM970–1,100 per sq ft, Lightwater close to double. If you want The Light City for its location and amenities rather than for a brand-new flagship, Mezzo or the completed Light Waterfront phases give you far more home per ringgit.
What the mall opening changes
Until now, buyers here have paid for amenities still under construction. From 29 October, the biggest of them is open. That makes the precinct a more complete place to live and should help with tenants, especially at Mezzo. It also brings traffic and crowds, especially at weekends and in the first months, and a soft opening means not every shop trades on day one. More in my Waterfront Shoppes opening guide.
What the mall doesn't change: a unit's view, its layout, its service charge or what the building next door is charging. Buy the home, not the opening.
Getting around
The precinct sits beside the island end of the Penang Bridge. Measured road distances at free-flow speeds (rush hour takes longer): USM about 5 km, Queensbay Mall about 6 km, Komtar about 10.5 km, the airport about 11 km.
IJM says The Light City has a direct link to the planned Penang Waterfront (The Light) station on the Mutiara Line, due in December 2031. In Klang Valley, new stations added only a small premium to nearby prices, so treat it as a convenience you aren't paying for today.
The catches
Construction continues. Lightwater won't complete until 2029 and Merione Residences until December 2029, so the precinct will have cranes for a few more years.
Big-precinct traffic. A convention centre and Penang's biggest mall mean event-day crowds. If you're buying to live, ask which side of the building faces the access roads.
Prices vary widely. RM1M at Mezzo and RM3.5M at Lightwater are different products. Compare like with like, and check recent resale prices in the exact building.
Zac’s Take
Zac Ong
The Light City is finally becoming the place IJM promised: homes, a convention centre and now Penang's biggest mall, with an LRT station to come. For most buyers, the value is in Mezzo or the completed Light Waterfront phases next door, where you can see the view and check recent sales. Lightwater is for someone who wants the new flagship and can wait for 2029. Whichever you choose, ask exactly which building a 'Light City' price refers to.
Average response: under 1 hour, 9am–7pm Mon–Sat.
📲 Ask me about The Light CityFor every phase across the wider seafront, see my Light Waterfront guide.
Sources: Precinct size, value, components, Lightwater launch details and the LRT link from IJM Land's project announcements; Lightwater's late-2025 prices and completion target from EdgeProp Singapore (November 2025); mall and hotel details from The Edge and IJM/Perennial announcements. Mezzo resale prices and rents from portal listings (September–October 2026). Road distances measured on OpenStreetMap routing.