Stewart Architecture, of Manuka, and I&V Builders have lodged plans with the Planning and Land Authority to replace the existing four-storey commercial building in Braddon with two residential blocks sharing a total of 170 units.

If approved, future tenants of the $52 million Northbourne Avenue development would have the first stage of the city's proposed light rail network on their doorstep.

The application, however, says little about light rail, mentioning the project in a criteria statement and an attached noise management plan.

The plan's authors, SLR Consulting, noted "road traffic noise is likely to be the dominant noise source" to affect the site, with light rail generating marginally lower sound levels than other transport.

The applicants said their proposal was in line with the Territory Plan zone, which encourages "higher density residential development in locations with convenient access to transport corridors and commercial and employment centres".

Situated between two office blocks, the proposed development would join similar apartment buildings on the other side of Northbourne Avenue, as well as houses behind the site on Lowanna Street.

An existing car park will be removed and replaced with two basement levels in the nine-level and varying three to four-level buildings..

Most of the units in the buildings will be two-bedroom apartments, with the rest made up of 70 one-bedroom apartments and three three-bedroom apartments.

The two highest floors of the taller building will have glazed areas to allow better views from the rooms, while the lower levels will have more standardised rooms to take advantage of the winter sun.

The existing structure, known as the SKM building, has been used since the 1980s for offices, with Colliers International recently advertising vacancies for businesses of between 100 square metres and 938 square metres of floor space.

Residents have until Wednesday, January 20 to make public submissions about the development application.