Public consultation has commenced for a proposal to construct a 33.6m mixed-use building on a high-profile corner beachside block.
The building, named Sirius Apartments, would have 11 storeys and include nine apartments and a shop at 123 Mooloolaba Esplanade, Mooloolaba.
The 500sqm site is currently home to a two-storey building that includes the popular restaurants Spice Bar and Moom.
The site is owned by FFGSG Custodian No.2 Pty Ltd, directed by developer Rod Forrester, and the applicant is Mooloolaba Drive Pty Ltd.
A development assessment report by Project Urban submitted with the application details that a 10-storey building comprising shops and eight units was approved in December 2023.
But in October plans were lodged proposing to add another unit that would push the building to 11 storeys and from 29.25m up to 33.6m, triggering the impact assessment.
“The amended architectural plans include the plan amendments required by the conditions of the current approval,” the report says.
The ceiling height of the units would also be expanded to three metres, to “increase the amenity of the apartments”.
The building would comprise one three-bedroom unit, seven four-bedroom units and a two-level top unit with four bedrooms plus a master suite upstairs.
The apartments would also have access to a communal wellness spa, gym, steam room and sauna. There would be a shop and reception area on the first level.
It would have ground- and basement-level parking for 25 vehicles, plus room for bicycles and motorcycles, and there would be a car lift and turntable to maximise the limited space.
“The development remains medium-rise and is consistent with the reasonable expectations of the local community,” the planning report says.
“The built form will be developed to the highest architectural standards, using best-practice approaches, and is suitable for the subject site without impacting upon the surrounding properties.”
The site is within the Mooloolaba/Alexandra Headland Local Plan Area and the High-Density Residential Zone.
A 30m height limit applies to the strip along Mooloolaba Esplanade between Meta Street and Venning Street, but the planning report suggest the height limit for the strip is an “error”.
“It is clear that the planning scheme’s preferred height limit of 30 metres bears little resemblance to the established building heights in this area of Mooloolaba,” it says.
Submissions can be made here until March 7.
