Ardee Launches Ardee Downtown as Flagship of AED15 Billion Al Marjan Portfolio
The mixed-use district covers 3.5 million square feet of gross floor area on Al Marjan Island, with phased delivery scheduled from 2030.
Ardee has launched its brand, and used the launch to unveil Ardee Downtown, which the UAE developer describes as Ras Al Khaimah's first fully fledged mixed-use premium downtown district. The project sits on Al Marjan Island and is the flagship of Ardee's portfolio there.
That portfolio carries a gross development value above AED15 billion. It covers 5.2 million square feet of gross floor area across 9 million square feet of total built-up area. Ardee Downtown alone accounts for 3.5 million square feet of gross floor area, a figure that includes Ardee Views.
The district is planned to hold apartments, branded residences and townhouses alongside a signature lifestyle mall. Retail and dining space will pass 600,000 square feet. Hospitality, leisure and entertainment form part of the mix, as does a 600-metre waterfront promenade. Public plazas, outdoor dining, cafes, and wellness and cultural spaces are designed into the layout, and four landscaped community parks will connect Ardee Downtown to the rest of Al Marjan Island.
Marjan: early commitments, then confidence
Al Marjan Island is an iconic destination where developers are shaping its character. Ardee's commitment is significant and Ardee Downtown makes the destination stronger.
That was Abdullah Al Abdouli, Group CEO of Marjan. He set out the master developer's role as well: making early commitments and putting foundations in place so that partners can build with confidence. That approach, he said, curates growth that creates opportunity for Ras Al Khaimah.
Ardee Views and its 652 units
Ardee also revealed Ardee Views, a pair of twin residential towers with 652 units that will link Ardee Downtown to Ardee Waterfront. The plans include a restaurant, a club lounge, a 40-metre pool and a gym, plus shops, a residents' lounge, and valet and concierge services.
Fairmont and the wider master plan
The Downtown unveiling follows the 2025 announcement of Fairmont Residences and Hotel Fairmont Al Marjan Island, the first phase of Ardee Waterfront. That is an AED2 billion luxury hospitality and branded residential project designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners. It will include a 224-room Fairmont hotel and 516 Fairmont-branded residences.
Ardee Waterfront and Ardee Downtown form a single master-planned destination. Between them, the two are planned to deliver more than 4,000 premium residences.
Ardee Downtown is scheduled for phased delivery starting in 2030. Ardee will oversee the district's development and its long-term community management.
A 2023 startup with an established partner list
Ardee was founded in 2023 by Chairman Romeo Abdo. Its partners include Fairmont, part of Accor, together with Pelli Clarke & Partners, DP Architects, Turner International Middle East (TiME), Mirage and Marjan.
A 2030 start to handovers puts the first Downtown phases roughly five years out, while the island's branded hospitality and residential components already move ahead under separate timelines. The sequencing carries more weight than the headline value. A master developer that lays infrastructure early lets several builders commit at once, and a district of this scale only functions if the mall, the promenade and the parks arrive alongside the homes rather than years behind them.
