An artist’s impression of the Foothills apartments. Image: Stewart Architecture.
Doma Group’s long-stalled Foothills development in Campbell has restarted construction after winning commitment from most apartment purchasers and a reboot of Precinct One.
The Foothills development – 117 one to three-bedroom apartments across two buildings and 135 townhouses on the prime Limestone Avenue site formerly occupied by the CSIRO – fell foul of the volatile post-COVID construction landscape in 2022.
Like many projects commenced before and during COVID, Foothills was significantly impacted by unprecedented market conditions.
The builder, PBS, entered administration, and escalating construction costs, supply chain disruptions, and extended delivery timelines affected Doma’s ability to secure finance for the project.
Doma has now announced a path forward for the apartment precinct following extensive engagement with purchasers and a comprehensive review of the development.
But a solution for the townhouses (Precincts 2-5) may be some months away.
Doma says that its representatives met face-to-face with 72 buyers who were presented with two clear options:
- Exit their contract with a full return of their deposit and additional compensation, or
- Continue the project under a revised pricing structure reflecting updated construction costs.
The majority of purchasers elected to move forward under the revised structure, enabling works on Precinct One to commence, with Chase Constructions as the builder.
Doma also refined the design of Precinct One to strengthen both the project’s viability and the overall resident experience.
The updated plans, approved by the NCA in December, include an additional level of apartments on each building without breaching height limits, achieved by lowering the basement levels by an additional 1.7 metres.
This took the buildings to nine storeys and added 19 apartments, but 18 townhouses have been removed from Precinct 5, meaning the overall number of dwellings on the site will increase by one, according to the NCA consultation report.
The pool has been relocated from the podium to the ground to improve amenity and outlook; the basement entry has been changed to enhance functionality and traffic flow; and landscaping has been revised to deliver a stronger connection to the surrounding environment.
Minor adjustments have been made to the façade and material palette to improve buildability without compromising the aesthetic outcome, Doma says.
The tennis court and gym remain.
Doma director of development Chris Farrington said the past few years had been incredibly challenging for the development and construction industry.
“We were faced with a project that saw our contracted builder PBS go into administration and the original financial assumptions being heavily impacted by COVID,” Mr Farrington said.
“We felt the right thing to do was sit down with our buyers face-to-face, explain the reality of the situation and work through it together.
“Importantly, everyone had a genuine opportunity to consider their options to either stay in the project or walk away.”
Mr Farrington said this meant financiers regained interest in the project, but Doma also took the opportunity to refine the design and strengthen the overall outcome for future residents.
“We’re grateful for the majority of our apartment purchasers who chose to back the project and continue with their apartment purchase,” he said.
“Our focus is now firmly on delivering Precinct One apartments to the standard we committed to.
“Unfortunately, at this stage, we have yet to determine an outcome for the townhouses and balance of the Foothills site. We’re hoping to have a solution for these stages in the coming months.”
