High-end dining, cheap eats, a range of retail stores and an adventure playground that could rival The Jetsons are slated for Gungahlin's first cinema and shopping precinct.
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The lodgement of a development application for the three-storey shopping centre is imminent and negotiations with a number of national operators are already underway, according to sales agency Burgess Rawson.
Managing director Guy Randell said the centre, which will be built on a slice of land on the corner of Hibberson and Hinder Streets, could contain up to 70 stores with fashion and electronic outlets on the cards.
Gungahlin residents will not have to leave the community for a movie, a spot of retail therapy or more dining options once the family-orientated complex is complete, with an expected end date of Christmas, 2018.
There are plans for a gourmet fresh food market with a range of offerings including fruit and vegetables, cheese, a fishmonger and a butcher.
An indoor-outdoor food precinct, restaurant dining and a supermarket are also set for the centre.
The cherry on the cake will be a proposed 3000-square-metre, third-floor "adventure playground" geared to all ages.
"We're talking high-tech, really amazing stuff," Mr Randell, whose agency launched in Canberra in May, said.
"We're in negotiations with some quality entertainment offerings. We're talking caves, trampolines, rock walls. We might have virtual glasses.
"We're going up, hopefully, 12 metres high."
Mr Randell said he expected the centre's marketing campaign to launch in early October.
"We'll take expressions of interest from local and national operators," he said.
"There are certainly negotiations with quality national operators at this stage."
He said the complex would offer a range of services to the Gungahlin community.
"This is not just a strip mall with a number of shops," he said.
"This is really around providing full family entertainment.
"There are lack of services for families and youth in Gungahlin and that's been one of the key drivers [of the project]."
Member for Molonglo Meegan Fitzharris earlier said the cinema complex would be right on the light rail, enabling more people to access it.
