Over the past 25 years, Shri Mahesh Agarwal has built more than homes and townships—he has helped shape communities and transform emerging locations into thriving destinations. Beyond business, his contribution to education and social welfare reflects his belief in creating a lasting impact. In this conversation, he shares his entrepreneurial journey, Regency Group’s 25-year legacy and his vision for the future.
Regency Group has established a distinctive presence in the real estate sector. Could you take us through the Group’s journey, the philosophy it was founded on, and the key milestones that have shaped its evolution?
Regency Group’s journey began in 2000, but my entrepreneurial journey started much earlier.
I came to Maharashtra from Rajasthan in 1978 with very limited resources and began my working life in the timber trade. Over the years, I worked across businesses including plywood, chemicals, textiles and steel. Each experience taught me valuable lessons about people, markets, materials and, above all, the importance of hard work, integrity and execution.
When we entered real estate in 2000, our objective was never simply to construct buildings. We wanted to create homes and environments that offered a lasting balance of quality, functionality and value.
Over the past 25 years, this philosophy has evolved with the aspirations of the people we build for. From individual residential developments, we have grown into larger communities and townships, premium residences, commercial spaces and redevelopment projects across the MMR and Pune. Today, Regency Group has completed more than 30 projects, developed over 3.5 crore sq. ft. across 350+ acres, and delivered homes to more than 20,000 families.
A defining part of our journey has been our ability to look beyond where a location is today and envision what it could become tomorrow. Projects such as Regency Gardens in Kharghar, Regency Towers along Ghodbunder Road and Regency Estate in Dombivli were conceived when these locations were still emerging. We believed that the right quality of development could become a catalyst for transformation.
That philosophy continues to guide us: understand the context, anticipate its evolution and create developments that contribute positively to the city and its communities.
Across the projects developed by Regency Group, what are the core principles that remain consistent regardless of scale or typology? How do these principles influence the way you approach planning, architecture, amenities, and the overall experience of a development?
Whether we are developing a large township or a premium high-rise, four principles remain constant: people-centric planning, functional efficiency, longterm value and a strong sense of place.
People-centric planning means starting with the lived experience rather than simply a floor plan. We consider how families arrive home, how children move safely, where senior citizens spend time, and how natural light, ventilation and community spaces shape everyday life.
The second is functional efficiency. Good design is not about adding more features, but making every square foot work better. Residences, landscapes, circulation and amenities should come together naturally and intuitively.
The third is long-term value. We look beyond possession, ensuring that materials, infrastructure, landscape and building systems perform well over time and remain practical to maintain.
Finally, there is a sense of place. Architecture, landscape, open spaces and amenities should form a cohesive environment rather than exist as disconnected elements.
We also believe that every project should respond to its context. A large township, a premium high-rise in Thane or a contemporary residence in Pune will each require a different architectural approach. The principles remain consistent, while the expression evolves with the location, scale and people it serves.
Could you share some of Regency Group’s most significant projects and the thinking behind them? What makes these developments representative of the Group’s approach to creating contemporary living and working environments?
Our portfolio reflects how the same underlying philosophy can respond to different scales, locations and lifestyles.
Regency Anantam in Dombivli marked an important step towards large-scale community development. Spread across 35 acres within a larger 200-acre master-planned setting, the project comprises 25 towers, extensive green spaces, multi-themed gardens, a clubhouse and a range of amenities. The objective was to create a complete living environment rather than simply a collection of residential towers.
Regency Sarvam in Titwala, developed across approximately 70 acres, explored the relationship between nature and community on a larger scale. Its setting along the Kalu River, extensive green spaces and township planning allowed us to make landscape and openness integral to the residential experience.
Regency Antilia represents another dimension of our approach. Its riverside setting, open spaces and lifestyle amenities were planned to give the community a strong cultural and social identity. The inclusion of a gaushala, Gurudwara Sahib and temple alongside modern residential infrastructure reflects our belief in combining contemporary living with cultural rootedness.
Our more recent developments, including Regency Vertex in Thane and Regency Astra in Baner, Pune, respond to denser urban contexts, with an emphasis on contemporary architecture, efficient planning, premium amenities and a sense of openness.
With Regency Business Park in Thane, we have extended this thinking to commercial development, looking beyond efficient floor plates to how people experience their workplace.
Across all these projects, our belief remains that good architecture should not follow a signature style. It should respond intelligently to the site, context, purpose and people who use it.
Real estate is increasingly moving beyond simply providing built space to creating complete ecosystems and experiences. How does Regency Group approach placemaking and community creation within its developments?
We believe a residential development is ultimately a neighbourhood, not simply a cluster of buildings.
This becomes especially important at the township scale. Once a development reaches a certain size, we are effectively creating a small urban environment where the relationship between buildings, landscape, pedestrian movement, roads, amenities and gathering spaces shapes how the neighbourhood feels and functions.
We therefore think in terms of a hierarchy of spaces— from the private environment of the home to semiprivate landscaped and community areas, and larger social spaces such as clubhouses, sports facilities and gathering areas. Landscape connects these layers, creating breathing space while encouraging walking, recreation and interaction.
Placemaking should also reflect the cultural identity of the community rather than become a generic collection of lifestyle features. Regency Antilia is a good example, where contemporary amenities and open spaces coexist with a gaushala, Gurudwara Sahib and temple, creating a strong sense of cultural rootedness.
Ultimately, a developer cannot manufacture a community. We can create the physical and experiential framework, but the community comes alive through the people who live there—their interactions, celebrations, traditions and shared experiences.
How important are design, architecture, and materiality in shaping the identity of a Regency project? How do you collaborate with architects, designers, consultants, and other creative professionals to translate the Group’s vision into built form?
Design and architecture are extremely important because they determine not only how a project looks, but how it is experienced over time.
We do not believe in imposing a repetitive architectural template across our portfolio. Design should respond to the climate, site, urban context, scale and intended users. A large township and a premium urban highrise should naturally have different architectural expressions.
We involve architects, landscape designers, structural consultants, MEP professionals and other specialists early in the process. The conversation goes beyond the building’s appearance to defining the experience we want to create and translating that intent through planning, architecture, landscape, light, movement and materiality.
Material selection is considered from both aesthetic and performance perspectives. A material may look striking initially, but what matters is how it performs over years of exposure, use and maintenance. We look for the right balance of visual character, durability and long-term practicality.
We also believe design intent must be supported by execution. Even the strongest architectural idea can lose its impact if detailing and construction do not deliver it effectively.
Our recognition with the 2016 Real Estate Honour from The Society Interior Design Competition & Awards was particularly meaningful as it acknowledged our work in architecture, modern design and construction quality.
Ultimately, we do not pursue architecture for its own sake. The true measure of good design is whether it makes everyday life better, more comfortable and more meaningful.
With changing lifestyles, evolving demographics, and increasing expectations from homebuyers and businesses, how do you see the role of a developer changing? What new priorities are influencing Regency Group’s approach to development?
The modern home has become a multifunctional environment where people work, relax, exercise, spend time with family and socialise within the same ecosystem. This is changing how we think about homes, layouts, amenities, landscape and the relationship between private and shared spaces.
Commercial development is evolving similarly. A workplace is no longer simply a collection of efficient floor plates. Natural light, wellness, breakout spaces, social interaction and the overall quality of the environment increasingly shape how people experience a workplace.
Sustainability and resource efficiency are also becoming fundamental. Water management, energy efficiency, waste management and landscape need to be considered from the planning stage rather than added later.
Perhaps the biggest shift is the need to think beyond handover. A development must remain functional, maintainable and relevant to its community for years to come.
The developer’s role is therefore evolving into a combination of planner, designer, infrastructure strategist, community builder and long-term custodian.
What are some of the key projects currently in the pipeline for Regency Group? Could you share details about the upcoming developments, their locations and segments, and what makes these projects particularly significant for the Group’s next phase of growth?
Our next phase of growth is centred on markets where we have built a strong understanding over the years, while selectively exploring new opportunities.
In the MMR, our presence across Dombivli, Kalyan-Murbad, Titwala and Thane gives us opportunities across diverse residential formats—from large communities and townships to premium urban developments and redevelopment.
Our ongoing and upcoming focus includes projects and future phases associated with Regency Anantam NXT, Regency Luxuria, Regency Avana and Regency Antilia. Regency Vertex reflects our growing interest in premium urban development and redevelopment within established locations. Our commercial platform, including Regency Business Park, is another important part of this evolution, while Regency Astra in Pune strengthens our focus on contemporary premium residential development.
What distinguishes this phase is our approach to scale with greater refinement. We are not pursuing geographical expansion simply to become larger. We want to deepen our presence in locations where we understand the customer, infrastructure trajectory and long-term market potential.
This means bringing greater thought to planning, architecture, landscape, amenities and the overall experience of every development.
As you look towards the future, where do you see the greatest opportunities for Regency Group? What is your long-term vision for the Group, and what kind of legacy do you hope to create through the developments you build?
We see significant opportunity in the continued transformation of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Infrastructure-led growth is creating new centres of connectivity and urban development, while established areas are simultaneously undergoing renewal and redevelopment.
This presents two complementary opportunities: creating new communities in emerging growth corridors and contributing to the transformation of established neighbourhoods.
Our ambition, however, is not simply to become larger, but to become more meaningful in every geography we enter. We want our developments to be remembered not only for their scale or architecture, but for the quality of the environments they create—the way people live in them, the communities they foster and their contribution to the neighbourhood.
Growth also brings a broader responsibility. Through the Regency Foundation and our wider social initiatives, we have extended our work into education, healthcare, environmental initiatives and community welfare.
Ultimately, legacy cannot be measured only in square feet constructed or towers delivered. It is measured by the quality of the neighbourhoods we leave behind, the experiences people associate with them and the trust the Regency name carries across generations.
That is the legacy we aspire to build.
