The developer behind a planned five-storey unit block with communal facilities, in the heart of a Sunshine Coast town, says it will suit the area and bring lasting benefits.
Rod Constantinides, of ARM Property Investment Group, detailed the 160-room project on the corner of Currie and Bury streets in Nambour.
“The rooming accommodation development is designed for the way a lot of people want to live today, (including) essential workers, remote workers, singles and those seeking flexibility without the burden of a full home with gardens and maintenance,” he said.
Mr Constantinides said the town and the development were a good fit.
“Nambour’s CBD has longed for people to actually live in it,” he said.
“One hundred and sixty residents mean more foot traffic, more money to local businesses, safer streets through passive surveillance, and life breathed back into the town centre.
“Critics have suggested this will attract one type of person (and it will be) a social housing tower. However, our 15 years’ operating five similar projects across the Sunshine Coast suggest otherwise.
“Our residents include single individuals seeking safety and privacy, essential and FIFO workers on temporary contracts, older people who are done with the costs of maintaining a full home, and we believe remote workers drawn to the co-working space.
“We’ve engaged with the council for four years, worked broadly with the community in various meetings, and modified the design accordingly.
“Difference always attracts criticism, but the demand for this type of living exists. If we can get it off the ground, we believe it will benefit the community as a whole.”
Mr Constantinides outlined the complex’s main features.
“Every room is fully self-contained with its own private outdoor area, kitchenette, bathroom, and lounge and dining space,” he said.
“The building splits into two parallel forms with a landscaped void running between them. This void serves a dual purpose: it ensures every room benefits from cross ventilation and natural light, and it acts as a natural stack effect to draw heat away from the building during warmer months. Greenery, planted throughout the void podium and climbing the building’s full height, further aids passive cooling, creating a living, breathing centrepiece in the middle of the development.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Residents also enjoy access to a pool, gym, sauna, co-working space, and a commercial kitchen and barbecue area: amenities designed to build genuine community and offer far more than a typical share house.”
The precinct, on a 2972sqm site, could be built within a couple of years.
“We want residents to occupy the building by late 2027,” he said.
“We need the design finalised for building approval, and construction budgets finalised before we can get valuations done and secure funding. We then need to ensure we are comfortable with the project’s financial exposure.
“It is a large project for the area. As I have explained in numerous meetings with the community and council, building vertically doesn’t get cheaper just because it is for the more affordable market and located in Nambour.
“Cranes, scaffolding and the structure still cost the same whether you finish the building with nice cabinetry and tiles and include an ocean view.
“Affordable housing … only exists if it’s subsidised by the government. We are not a community housing provider, nor are we trying to build one (social housing). Therefore, we cannot use these subsidies and must instead design and build with efficiency. We are also hopeful that the council will assist where possible to make this project happen.”
The group’s in-house construction group, which has completed more than 65,000sqm of projects during the past 10 years, is set to build it “to help manage costs”.
The group has been behind several projects on the Sunshine Coast, including Mammoth Storage Kunda Park, Evolution Early Learning Centre Mooloolaba, Beachside by the Park Apartments Mount Coolum and Ken Mills Toyota Maroochydore, among others.
Mr Constantinides has strong ties to the region. He was born on the Sunshine Coast and has lived in the area for most of his life. His father first started building in the region in the 1980s.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
