Margreet Philp has been living next to the Gold Creek Homestead for the past 15 years, and for most of that time it has sat vacant and derelict.
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Perhaps more than most she has a stake in what lies ahead for the site.
Ms Philp's is part of an engagement panel, facilitated by the ACT government's Suburban Land Agency that is gathering views from relevant stakeholders.
It comes as the 4.8 hectare site is set to be released to the market in the coming months.
There are 18 members on the panel which is comprised of nearby residents and representatives from community councils with members ranging from teenagers to people in their 80s.
The group is participating in a series of meetings over the month, and at the end of the process a precinct brief will be drawn up capturing the views of the panel.
"It's not your traditional feedback process, it's a deliberation by stakeholders who have put their hand up and have been selected for their diversity and for their relationships with the site," said group facilitator Helen Leayr.
"It's not a forum where we are capturing feedback, it is a group that is working together as a panel to develop a document they are all comfortable with."
Ms Philps said it was important, for her, that any redevelopment remained sympathetic to the environment.
"It's a really unique block because it has a dam and beautiful trees, with a big sloping hill where you can see this amazing view of Gungahlin so I think it would be a really special site for a developer to build on," she said. "Personally, I would love to see some of the greenery kept."
The site is zoned for community uses, which could include aged care, child care or a place of worship.
The ACT government acquired the site in 1998 and there have been several attempts for homestead to be put on the ACT Heritage Register but it has ultimately failed.
In April last year the ACT government put the Gold Creek Homestead up for sale but it was sensationally taken off the market two months later.
At the time, Suburban Land Agency chief executive John Dietz said it was "important that the future of the site is able to strike a balance which considers both social and economic benefit for the community".
A spokeswoman from the Suburban Land Agency said this process is seeking to address this.
"The outcomes of the community panel process will form part of a Request for Tender released to the market," she said.
"The report [from the panel] will articulate values and characteristics of the site. The characteristics will then assist in formulating the criteria within the tender document."
ACT Minister for Urban Renewal Rachel Stephen-Smith said the government wanted to ensure all interested parties had their say.
"Bringing the community panel together for this opportunity prior to any statutory planning processes means people have the opportunity to be engaged and involved from the beginning, helping to shape the future of the site" she said.
The site will be sent to a tender process next year.