Habitat Development Group set for 200 apartment St Clair Apartments in Birtinya on the Sunshine Coast

“We’ve been building on the Sunshine Coast for the past 16 years and this is the most buoyant market I’ve ever seen," Habitat boss Cleighton Clark said.
Habitat Development Group set for 200 apartment St Clair Apartments in Birtinya on the Sunshine Coast
The proposed development. Image credit: K Architecture
Joel Robinson August 30, 2021

The local Sunshine Coast developer Habitat Developments are set for a 200-apartment development on the Maroochy River.

Habitat, led by director Cleighton Clarke, has lodged plans with the Sunshine Coast Council for St Clair Apartments at 930 & 931 Birtinya Boulevard, located directly adjacent to Lake Kawana

There will be 100 apartments in each eight-level building, made up of 46 two-beds, 119 three-bedroom apartments, making up 60 per cent of the development, and 35 four-bedroom and penthouse apartments.

Habitat Development Group managing director Cleighton Clark said they are excited about the project and look forward to Habitat playing its part in the growth and evolution of the Birtinya lakeside precinct.

"There’s already been some exciting momentum created by Stockland and other strong local developers," Clark said, adding that the Birtinya precinct was awarded the 2020 National UDIA Award for Master-planned Development.

K Architecture designed the buildings which curve in sync with each other, and are separated by a walkway to the water.

Each building will rise eight levels from the ground, with a further two-levels of basement parking which will hav over 400 parking spaces.

St Clair has a really elegant design and will capitalise on its prime waterfront location," Clark said.

"This prime waterfront development promises stunning ocean views and across Lake Kawana to the east as well as committed green space to the west."

There will be 13 apartments on each level, apartment from the ground floor which will have 12 and level eight which will have 10.

Some of the bigger penthouse-style apartments have over 50 sqm plus outdoor space, with a handful of courtyard apartments with over 90 sqm of gardens.

The ground floor homes the amenity, including a 25 metre swimming pool, communal dining room and a games and play lawn. The rooftop terrace will have seating and dining areas.

Habitat are hoping the project will start in mid to late 2022, and will be completed in Q1 2024, pending approval.

Habitat recently sold out their $83 million Maroochydore project Market Lane, and are set to launch another Maroochydore project, The Corso, next year.

Clark said his enthusiasm for the Sunshine Coast has been reinforced by the strong market interest in Habitat’s existing projects under construction which are all completely sold out.

“We’ve been building on the Sunshine Coast for the past 16 years and this is the most buoyant market I’ve ever seen," Clark said.

“Rental vacancy rates have been low on the Sunshine Coast for a number of years, but vacancy is incredibly tight and we’ve witnessed very strong rental growth in the last year. Apartments are renting for 20% more than they were 12 months ago in projects we’ve completed and continue to manage.

"St Clair provides us another project to commence alongside some of our other exciting projects we’re planning in 2022."

Joel Robinson

Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Urban.com.au, managing Urban's editorial team and creating the largest news cycle for the off the plan property market in the country. Joel has been writing about residential real estate for nearly a decade, following a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism at Leeds Beckett University in England. He specializes in off the plan apartments, and has a particular interest in the development application process for new projects.

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