An application has been lodged to build five units on a 555sqm beachside block.
REP-PAC Developments (Minkara) proposes to build a three-storey complex at 18 Minkara Street, Warana.
Aerial photos show a house to the rear and one side, while another unit complex is on a similar-size block next door.
The proposed new complex would have two two-bedroom ground-floor units, described as suitable for downsizers, and three three-bedroom units, described as suiting double-income households with no kids or modern families.
It would include a single parking bay for each two-bedroom unit, two bays for each three-bedroom unit and a visitor space, accommodating a total of nine vehicles.
A planning report submitted with the application acknowledges the lot size is below the minimum of 800sqm specified in the planning scheme
But it says the proposal would still have appropriate vehicle access and parking, private open space for each unit, an enhanced street frontage with “sub-tropical vista”, a “modern coastal” built form and a design that mitigated the visual impact of typical apartment buildings.
It says the site coverage slightly exceeds the performance outcome but argues it would not be any more imposing than other redevelopments in the area.
“The proposed street elevation is comparable in mass and scale to recent detached, duplex and multi-unit residential redevelopment projects either completed or currently under construction throughout Kawana Waters, and takes the form of these larger new houses when viewed from the street,” it says.
The report says the complex would be close to the local centre and public transport corridor, which the Palkana Street and Minkara Street medium density nodes were designed to support, and points out the area is undergoing redevelopment.
“The suburbs along the Kawana Waters beach strip have seen significant transformation, with original three-bedroom, single-garage low-set brick-and-tile houses giving way to a surge of newly constructed, large GFA (gross floor area), multi-storey single and duplex dwellings within the low-density residential zone,” it says.
“Stockland’s Bokarina Beach development, nearing completion, has also contributed to this redevelopment with a mix of high dwelling densities and tall building heights.”
REP-PAC Developments (Minkara) is owned by Michael Capper, whose company, Capland 2, was behind a six-unit three-level building on a similar-size block next door at 20 Minkara Street.
The town planning report says higher residential density has been “previously accepted on all Caplands Group projects when key operational parameters are found to be generally compliant”.
“These parameters include access, circulation, parking rates, landscaping, private open space, height limit, setbacks and close proximity to key nodes and public transport,” it says.
The report says the complex would be positive for the area, in keeping with expected performance outcomes, and with the units priced at the lower end of the scale for the area.
“Recognising how the Minkara proposal will provide a more affordable and alternative housing solution in a market dominated by single and duplex dwellings, the council should prioritise bringing this more affordable housing solution to the Kawana Waters market.”
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