Belconnen businesses are welcoming the district's mass development but doubts linger over whether it will be able to cope with an onslaught of new residents.
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Geocon's behemoth Republic precinct is expected to bring more than 2000 people to its town centre by mid-2020, while HTI Group's proposed 121 unit-complex was expected to be finished by June 2021.
Per Se's Cirrus, near Lake Ginninderra, is flagged to contribute another 400 people by October 2020, whereas guests of Canberra Labor Club's new 125-room adjoining Mercure Hotel would be in town in mid-January 2020.
All of the development amounted to a huge incentive to business owners to put down roots in Belconnen, Lighthouse Bar owner Spiro Tsiros said. He bought the pub in 2017 with population growth in mind.
"I mean, if you're trying to buy a bar, having 3000 people within a stone's throw was always [going to be] a good consideration," he said.
"Ultimately, hospitality in all descriptions is effectively a numbers game. Having more people [in the area] gives you a better chance to offer your services."
Mr Tsiros had already put on an extra staff member in the afternoon to accommodate trades people working on Republic, he said.
He expected to have to hire more people when it was complete.
"So, it's not just me that wins. My staff have been able to pick up some extra hours, which they love," he said.
"I used to be able to send people home at 3pm; now, I have to keep them out [on the floor] until 5pm, when the next shift starts."
Other local businesses were similarly optimistic about the scale of development in Belconnen. Owner of Capital Kitchen Bimal Paubel said it would mean more customers at the restaurant, while the owner of Pino and Sun Eyecare, Peter Kramaric, said it would introduce a younger demographic.
"They need their eyes checked, so it's great," he said.
Manager of Belconnen Discount Pharmacy, Bec Davis, agreed the development could diversify the district but had some concerns about resulting traffic.
"Belconnen is a pretty old suburb as it is," she said.
"Roads and stuff aren't really upgraded that often, so with increasing numbers, it might be like the rest of Canberra; you'll find a lot of congestion around the place."
Traffic disruption because of construction had so far been minimal, Mr Tsiros said. He, like Ms Davis, hoped new residents would use public transport, walk or cycle to get around.
"There's a bus stop right out the front. The public transport network is literally at your door step," he said.
"Ultimately, hopefully, they don't need to get in their cars and they're walking around, because then they're closer to me."
Geocon's Republic would include more than 2000 car parks, while HTI's development was slated for 186 for residents and an extra 179 for an existing office and commercial building on Cameron Avenue.
"At the peak, there's over 500 staff working on this site," Republic's development manager Nathan Ross said.
"Surrounding businesses - some of the cafes and pubs - are already telling us how good it is."
Per Se's Cirrus would have 294 car parks. This accounted for apartments being given more than one space.
"Many of the Cirrus buyers are live in owners from Belconnen who will frequent the many restaurants, cafe and shops in the town centre," director of residential at Colliers International, Shane Radnell said.
A spokeswoman for the ACT government said it was making several improvements to Belconnen's road network, including the completed duplication of Aikman Drive, the up-for-tender Belconnen bikeway, expanded 40 kilometre zones, and the duplication of William Hovell Drive.
"In last year's Budget we [also] committed $8.4 million over four years to construct safer intersections in Belconnen," the spokeswoman said.
An ACT government-commissioned study flagged Belconnen group centre as one of eight areas in the ACT where 90 per cent of intensive densification could occur.