Public consultation has now closed on a controversial proposed 18-storey development, with around three in four submissions backing the project.
Habitat Development Group is seeking Sunshine Coast Council approval for the 180-apartment Rivienne project at 132 and 134-136 Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore.
Plans for Rivienne describe the proposed building as 61.9m high, more than 20m above the site’s 40m maximum building height under the current Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme.
However, Habitat Development Group managing director Cleighton Clark said the tower would be “consistent” with council’s draft scheme, which if adopted, would allow for buildings of up to 18 storeys and 60m.
The application was lodged late last year, with council subsequently raising concerns about the proposed height and seeking further information about potential impacts on views, privacy and overshadowing.
Council said the application had “not sufficiently demonstrated” how the height was consistent with the “reasonable expectations of the community” and asked the developer to provide further evidence supporting the proposal.
As an impact-assessable application, the proposal had to undergo public notification, giving the community an opportunity to make submissions prior to council making its decision.
An examination of the public submission records found 163 submissions in support of the proposal, 52 opposed and one that did not clearly state a position, after duplicate and repeat records were accounted for.
Supporters repeatedly pointed to the need for more housing, the suitability of Maroochydore for higher-density development, economic activity and the limits proposed for the area under council’s new planning scheme.
One Marcoola resident said concentrating greater density in Maroochydore made “strategic sense”.
“In my view, Maroochydore is one of the most appropriate locations on the Sunshine Coast to accommodate greater residential density and height,” the submission read.
“It’s our designated principal regional activity centre and emerging CBD.”
Another supporter said the project would provide benefits beyond additional housing.
“I am very supportive of the proposal, particularly the increase to 18 storeys and the opportunities a development of this scale will provide for ongoing construction activity, local employment and keeping skilled trades and workers employed here on the Sunshine Coast,” the submission read.
Many of the supporting submissions used a common-form letter that cited housing close to jobs and services, increased activity for local businesses, the future planning direction for the area and the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, opponents pointed to the current height limit and the site’s existing approval for a 12-storey, 45m, 104-unit mixed-use development.
They also raised concerns about traffic, parking, visual bulk, privacy, overshadowing and impacts on surrounding amenities.
One Buderim resident said allowing such a significant variation risked undermining the existing planning controls.
“If developers can simply request an additional 23 metres whenever it suits their commercial interests, the planning scheme becomes meaningless.”
A Maroochydore resident said the issue was not whether the site should be developed, given an approval was already in place.
“The key question is whether lifting the building from 12 storeys to 18 storeys is in the public interest.”
Mr Clark said the overall response represented strong support for Rivienne.
“We recognise and respect that there will always be differing views about major development proposals, and we appreciate everyone who took the time to participate in the consultation process,” he said.
Habitat had always considered 18 storeys an appropriate outcome for the location given “its place in the CBD”, Mr Clark added.
“The strong level of community support through the formal submission process gives us further confidence that the broader community also understands the opportunity presented by this site,” he said.
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Rivienne would include 14 one-bedroom, 56 two-bedroom, 108 three-bedroom and two four-bedroom apartments, as well as five ground-floor commercial tenancies.
Habitat has estimated about 1100 workers would be engaged during construction.
“Our focus now is on continuing to work positively with the council through the assessment process,” Mr Clark said.
