The project will provide a diverse range of well-managed rental options supported by thoughtfully designed communal and public spaces. Images: Nettleontribe.
The investment company that bought a Turner block dedicated to a build-to-rent project has lodged plans for 306 units across three buildings up to nine storeys high.
Brisbane-based Cedar Pacific bought the 7070 sqm site (Block 3 Section 57) on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Condamine and Forbes streets for $30 million in July 2024.
Subsidiary Cedar Holdings developed and managed an extensive portfolio of purpose-built student accommodation, co-living, and built-to-rent housing on behalf of its global investors.
The vision for this project is to deliver a sustainable housing model that meets the growing demand for affordable, high-quality rental living in Canberra.
“Comprising approximately 306 apartments across three 8 to 9-storey buildings, the project will provide a diverse range of well-managed rental options supported by thoughtfully designed communal and public spaces,” the DA prepared by Canberra Town Planning says.
The 5-star Greenstar building will be constructed from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to significantly reduce carbon emissions and enhance occupant health and wellbeing.
Other sustainability features include a rooftop solar system, cross-ventilated apartments, rainwater harvesting for reuse, a high-performance façade that improves thermal efficiency, and an electric vehicle (EV) carshare fleet.
Resident amenities will include co-working areas, a gym, resident lounges, rooftop gardens, a cinema and bicycle parking.
The apartments will comprise 93 studio units, 130 one-bedroom units, 71 two-bedroom units and 12 dual-key three-bedroom units. Ceilings will be 2.7 metres high.
Apartments will range in size from 40 sqm of internal space (studio) to 53-61 sqm (one-bedroom), 70.9-94 sqm (two-bedroom), and 98.5 sqm (three-bedroom). A two-storey studio has 54.6 sqm.
Ground-floor apartments will enjoy private courtyards, while those above will have balconies for private open space.
Building 1 (9 storeys) will face Northbourne Avenue; Building 2 (8 storeys) will face Condamine Street; and Building 3 (8 Storeys) will face Forbes Street.
They are set around a central landscaped courtyard with sheltered seating, while a central east-west green corridor and pedestrian pathway connect both sides of the site.
The DA says 12 trees are slated for removal, but the verge trees will be protected. Trees that will grow to a height of 15 metres will be planted along the front setback, while shade trees near the east façade are intended to reduce heat gain.
The proposed total canopy coverage is 1432sqm or 20 per cent of the total site area.
Below ground, there will be a one-level basement with 189 parking spaces, plus two more for visitors above.
Residents, visitors, and small deliveries will enter and exit from Forbes Street through a driveway at the western end of the site.
Service and waste vehicles will also enter from Forbes Street but will exit left-only onto Northbourne Avenue through a separate, boom-gated driveway restricted to authorised vehicles under building management control.
The developer is required to upgrade the existing 1.2-metre-wide concrete footpaths along the northern, eastern and western boundaries.
A community housing provider will manage the Turner project’s affordable housing component of 40-plus units.
The Turner site will be Cedar Pacific’s second BTR project after a 475-unit Brisbane development, and the project will benefit from favourable tax settings to encourage rental housing in Canberra to ease the supply squeeze.
Director of development Alan Frost said in 2024 that the attraction for investors was reliable long-term returns, while tenants could depend on secure housing that offered communal amenities.
He said other investors would be watching the progress of this development closely to assess the BTR model’s viability.
The government has earmarked another site in Gungahlin for a build-to-rent project.
Comment on the DA closes on 19 February.
