The proponents of a dual-tower complex at the Woden town centre faced a barrage of questions about the development at the district's community council meeting this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Parking, shadowing and other issues were raised at the Woden Valley Community Council meeting during Zapari Group's presentation on their 448-unit proposal for the former Medibank building at 15 Bowes Street.
The project was pitched as Canberra's first "transit-oriented development", a method of urban planning in which residential density is promoted within walking distance of public transport.
The apartments would be built alongside the Woden bus interchange, near the expected light rail stop to be built in the second stage of the ACT government's network.
Retail space and an open public plaza would be constructed to encourage the use of the precinct outside working hours in an attempt to make Woden town centre a place where people would "work, live and play".
Questions about the height of the buildings, the tallest of which would reach above the proposed Woden Town Centre Master Plan limit of 16 storeys for the area.
Representatives from Purdon Planning and Zapari Group said the apartments could have been constructed within a single, smaller building, but the double tower allowed for other amenities.
They pointed to Braddon as an example of an area that could successfully be revitalised through a mix of residential and commercial areas.
At least 96 of the apartments would not have parking spaces under the proposal, which was determined as part of the transit-oriented development encouragement of public transport use.
That generated concern from some members of the audience at the meeting, who worried it could lead to a shortage of on-street parking near the site.
Almost 500 bicycle spaces would be built.
The development application was lodged shortly before Westfield proposed the construction of six commercial spaces on the ground floor of the car park facing Bradley Street.
If approved, 178 parking spaces would be taken out of the existing area to make way for the commercial places.
However, an application was also recently approved for a five-storey carpark on the Borrowdale House site next to Woden Square.
Urban renewal has been a major focus of recent Woden Valley Community Council meetings.
The council will ask the ACT government to designate the town centre as a precinct similar to that created for the Northbourne Avenue corridor in March.
The submission period for the development application will close on June 22.
