Byron Bay set for new apartments as plans for $52 million mixed-use Jonson Street precinct lodged
Byron Bay has enjoyed a COVID-induced boom, with capital city holiday makers and investors driving the housing market in the small northern New South Wales town.
But the area is set to welcome a new breed of holiday maker. There's rare plans for new apartments on Jonson Street, the main street on the way in to town.
Low-key Melbourne investor Adam Garrison and Singaporean real estate tycoon Dr Stanley Quek are behind $52 million proposal for the mixed-use precinct at 90-96 Jonson Street, with local architect Harley Graham Architects designing the three-level building.
That includes ground level retail, some 1,750 sqm which will incorporate a spice alley. There will also be a cascading pool in the landscaped piazza by Daniel Baffsky at 360 Degrees.
Baffsky was given an extensive brief to green the structure in keeping with local subtropical climate and the buildings orientation.
The plans submitted to the Byron Shire Council. Source: Harley Graham Architects
Levels one and two will be a mix two and three-bedroom apartments, ranging from 90 sqm to 120 sqm. Each will have a front terrace and a rear balcony, and most will have an internal lush lightwell.
Crowning the development will be a resident only rooftop, with swimming pool, pool deck, residential lawn, solar farm, yoga deck and native walking gardens.
There was a pre-lodgement meeting in March where it was revealed that when the notification to local Byron residents was distributed, there were three individuals expressing interest in the residential apartments, with two further sales enquiries received after the consultation closed.
They wanted to be kept updated on the proposal, however, were advised that a number of assessments and plans were yet to be finalised and that their interest was premature.
The plans submitted to the Byron Shire Council. Source: Harley Graham Architects
There's concerns from locals the apartments will just become lucrative holiday lets and not address the chronic shortage or housing in the area. There are some 3,500 properties listed on Airbnb in the Byron Shire,
It's the second plans lodged on Jonson Street this year.
Developer Podia has proposed a $27 million development including serviced apartments at the Holiday Village Backpackers site in Byron Bay.
The project is proposed for 116 and 118 Jonson Street, Byron Bay, currently the Holiday Village Backpackers.
DESIGN SUMMARY
The overall design aims for an environmentally and socially sustainable development. Delivering an integrated experience between the architecture, landscape and varied public and private activates of the site, creating a vibrant precinct to live and visit. This is achieved through multiple devices, including;
• Improved pedestrian connection
• Activated public frontage
• Inclusion of fine grain retail spaces
• Contemporary residential amenity
• Connection to public amenity including greenspace and transport
The landscape is conceived as a holistic urban garden. The landscape is a counterpoint to the modern architecture and a complement to the district ’s vernacular. It is a juxtaposition of a wild oasis and a familiar domestic courtyard. It is both elevated and vertical, and being integral to the architecture, demonstrates a progressive whole-of-building approach to the urban landscape that breaks free of the typology of peripheral and interstitial boundary treatments and singular ground floor or podium landscape. The whole of building landscape approach seeks to create a cohesive environmental and socially sustainable landscape and living building.
The sequence of landscape components (streetscape and piazza, retail lane, podium gardens, and residential amenity) combine to create an integrated, verdant and diverse sequence of spaces that contributes to both the private domain of the building’s residents and the public domain of the broader Byron precinct.
The overall design aims for an environmental and socially sustainable landscape and an integrated landscape experience with the buildings architecture and function, activating the site and creating a vibrant precinct and place to live. The podium gardens have been designed with the intention to form a focus on the development and provide complete site cover of landscape. These spaces also provide social and recreational opportunities for residents, while contributing to the urban character, visual quality and biodiversity of the area.
This development demonstrates a progressive approach to landscape integration with residential development. In this project, the garden contributes as much to the character of the street and broader precinct as it does to the enjoyment of the buildings tenants. The studied integration of landscape and architecture also provides environmental benefits including reduction of the heat island effect, stormwater absorption and creation of urban habitat.
Fundamentally the Landscape Architectural design sets out to provide a stimulating environment responsive to the scale of the development that adheres to the local planning controls, including ESD initiatives and native planting requirements. Environmentally, the diversity of landscape expressions and significant site coverage will help reclaim a site that is predominantly carparking into a habitat for local flora and fauna.
