An artist’s impression of the Lawson project. Images: Mathieson.
A proposed $53 million multi-unit development in Lawson will add 183 homes to the area, more than a quarter of them three-bedroom family apartments.
Anthony Tokich’s Per Se Developments has submitted a development application for the three-tower project on the cleared, sloping 11,507 square metre site not far from Lake Ginninderra and bound by Cambaroora Street, Tenterfield Avenue and an electrical easement.
This proposal is one of three residential projects planned for the Lawson estate. To the south, a proposal for a two-tower development of 406 units is under assessment and further to the southeast, a townhouse development is planned.
The towers in this project will rise five to six storeys high and be set around a central community garden.
The 183 homes – one shy of the maximum allowed – include 66 one-bedroom, 69 two-bedroom and 48 three-bedroom apartments.
They come with 2.7-metre floor-to-ceiling heights. The size of the one-bedroom unit is a minimum of 50 sqm, the two-bedrooms not less than 70 sqm, and the three-bedrooms are more than 95 sqm.
Twenty-three of these will be ‘affordable’, comprising 16 two-bedroom and seven one-bedroom units, as well as five for community housing.
These will be placed across the three buildings.
A view from the pool and gardens.
Amenities will include landscaped communal areas, outdoor seating, pedestrian paths, a children’s playground, an outdoor pool, a gym, a community room and bicycle parking.
A lower ground floor and two basement levels will provide 281 single parking spaces, including tandem, 33 accessible spaces and 16 motorcycle spaces.
Visitor parking is planned off-site as indented spaces within the adjacent verge.
Access will be from the west via two new driveways on Cambaroora Street.
The developers met with the National Capital Design Review Panel last year, who commended the dwelling diversity but suggested a number of changes.
The DA reflects these recommendations, with improved apartment unit layouts to provide better cross ventilation and more sunlight, more variety in the building form, more communal space and meeting the ACT Government tree canopy targets, with a quarter of the site available for deep soil planting of large trees.
More than a quarter of the units will have three bedrooms.
The towers are set at the north, east and south with open space on the western side. Towers 1 and 2 are 17 metres apart, and towers 2 and 3 are 9 metres apart, to capture summer breezes and enable natural cross ventilation, and maximise sunlight and minimise overshadowing.
They are set back 4 metres from the street boundaries and 6 metres from the easement.
The DA says most of the units are north-facing, and while some units in Tower 2 and Tower 3 are oriented toward the south, most of these can achieve a minimum of three hours of direct sunlight during the winter solstice.
All up, 77 per cent of units receive a minimum of three hours of sunlight between 9 am and 3 pm on the winter solstice.
Per Se’s residential projects include Ethos and Cirrus in Belconnen, Ambiente in Wright, Fusion in Harrison, Aspire in Kingston and Zirconia in Braddon.
The DA is open for comment until 14 October.
