Urban Renewal Pulse Quickens on Brisbane’s Southside

COMMERCIAL PHIL BARTSCH 05 OCT 23 The Urban Developer

Urban renewal proposals are piling up on Brisbane’s inner southside with two multi-level mixed-use commercial buildings among the latest development plans.

The recently filed applications include a six-storey proposal next to the Greenslopes Mall and a seven-storey scheme at rapidly-evolving Woolloongabba.

Both the mid-rise proposals are for office and healthcare uses with ground-floor food and drink outlets.

The Greenslopes development is earmarked for a 5462sq m site across seven amalgamated lots on the corner of Logan Road and Plimsoll Street.

It has been lodged with the Brisbane City Council by an entity linked to Brisbane-based office park developer Bill Henderson of OPD and Capital Transactions’ David Watson.

“The proposal provides a contemporary mid-rise campus style commercial office building which offers flexibility to be occupied by either commercial office space or health care services,” a planning report supporting the application said.

Overall, it would comprise a gross floor area of 6746sq m with four levels of commercial tenancies ranging from 60sq m to 625sq m around a centralised landscaped open air courtyard and void to embrace Brisbane’s subtropical climate.

The Wiltshire Stevens Architecture-designed scheme also would include two-and-a-half levels with 206 carparking spaces as well as bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities.

Significant landscaping has been integrated into the proposed built form through vertical greenery and planter beds with a view to providing “sensitive transitions and soft interfaces with adjoining residential land”.

“The development boasts a high level of comfort for future tenants and visitors with the provision of balconies and a centralised atrium, breaking the mould of traditional office buildings,” the report said.

It also noted that with the site sharing a direct nexus with Greenslopes Mall on the opposite side of Plimsoll Street it would contribute to the development of an urban hub, providing convenient access to an array of additional services.

“The development represents a logical expansion to the Greenslopes Mall … and has been designed accordingly to not exceed the maximum building height for the site,” the application said

North of the site at Woolloongabba, plans have been lodged by an entity linked to fund manager Elanor Investor Group for a seven-storey commercial building and separate six-storey carpark.

The proposal is earmarked for a 15,430sq m site at 2 Burke Street and designed by architects Nettletontribe to integrate with and complement the adjoining buildings within the site—including QCCAT, Burke Street Centre Hospital and Brisbane Catholic Education Centre.

“The proposed development encompasses a prominent commercial and healthcare service offering within the heart of the rapidly evolving inner-city suburb of Woolloongabba … [and] takes advantage of an expansive and established landholding, and proximity to major transport corridors and public transport,” the application said.

It would comprise a gross floor area of 5690sq m across the commercial building, including office and health care services within the upper levels as well as activated retail and food and beverage tenancies at ground level.

An extensive landscaped rooftop communal recreation and gathering space is integrated into the plans, featuring seating nooks and dining tables.

The proposed multi-level carpark building would provide spaces for a total of 329 vehicles and includes the retention of 93 existing parking spaces.

“The building features an elevated and inverted podium to welcome visitors into the activated retail and dining spaces of the building while allowing a high degree of permeability and visibility to the existing healthcare uses adjoining the building and within the centre of the site,” a planning report said.

“This strategic design choice ensures the preservation of existing pedestrian and vehicular pathways while accommodating essential features such as a convenient drop-off zone and a well-placed service vehicle parking area, conveniently accessible from Burke Street.”

The proposed multi-level carpark building to support patronage of the commercial building would provide spaces for a total of 329 vehicles and includes the retention of 93 existing parking spaces.

AUTHOR Phil?Bartsch