Lulu Island Abu Dhabi: Eagle Hills takes on 400 hectares off the Corniche — what is known in September 2026

Every tower on the Abu Dhabi Corniche looks out at the same empty strip of land. Lulu Island, roughly 400 hectares of reclaimed ground about 500 metres offshore, has been the capital's most visible undeveloped site for three decades. In late August 2026 Eagle Hills, the company run by Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar, confirmed it is overseeing its development. It is one of the biggest land stories of the year in the emirate. It is not yet something you can buy.

Thirty years of false starts

The island was built between 1986 and 1992 as a breakwater. It opened to the public in 2007 with cafés, artificial lakes and a ferry, then the 2008 crisis stalled every plan for it; the ferry stopped in 2009 and access was closed. Several masterplans came and went without a building going up. That history is the reason to treat the current announcement with interest rather than excitement until drawings and dates are published.

Confirmed versus expected

Eagle Hills has confirmed one thing: it is the developer. It has not released a masterplan, a timeline, a unit mix or pricing. What circulates beyond that comes from consultants and local reporting:

• low-rise stock — apartments, villas and mansions, reportedly three to four floors at most;
• capacity for around 20 000 residents;
• bridges to Abu Dhabi island, the Corniche and Mina Zayed;
• beaches, green space and a canal through the middle.

The part that can be checked is on the ground: cranes and excavators are working on the island and show homes have gone up, according to local press. This is being prepared for sale, not for a decade-long vision deck.

What it means for a buyer

The appeal is location. A low-rise, beach-fronted district minutes from the capital's business core is something Abu Dhabi barely has: Saadiyat and Yas are further out, and the main island is built up with towers. If the low-rise reports hold, supply will be tight and pricing will benchmark against Saadiyat villas rather than Al Reem apartments.

Three things decide whether it is investable, and none is public yet. First, investment-zone status: foreign buyers get freehold in Abu Dhabi only inside designated zones, and Lulu's inclusion has not been announced. Second, phasing and bridges — without them this is still an island reached by water. Third, price. Any "expression of interest" offered before an official launch is a place in a queue, not a contract.

Why now

The launch lands in a market running hot. The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) reported AED 70.4bn of residential sales in the first half of 2026, nearly triple a year earlier, with off-plan taking 89% of the value. Eagle Hills already has Ramhan Island in the capital and the Bvlgari resort on a neighbouring horseshoe-shaped island — see Bvlgari Resort & Mansions Abu Dhabi. Lulu fits the same pattern: islands close to the centre, resort formats, a big name attached.

The developer's track record is on our Eagle Hills page, and the capital's islands are compared in Abu Dhabi areas. We will break down the Lulu Island masterplan with numbers once it is published.