Why apartments at Highpark Seasons in Glen Iris were only really for locals
Highpark Seasons, the new apartment development in Melbourne's Glen Iris, was targeted at locals and owner-occupiers straight from the outset.
And the COVID-19 lockdowns has only seen further demand from locals who want to live in the picturesque and peaceful location, right on Gardiners Creek and the popular Gardiners Creek trail.
"People have really re-connected with walks over the last 16 months or so", Jellis Craig head of projects Stephen Bowtell, who is marketing the apartments, says.
"It's a bit of an island site, not built on any side, and residents will easily be able to access the nature track."
The development has been popular with city dwellers, who, since the onset of COVID, have been reconnecting with nature through long socially-distanced walks.
Bowtell says the developer, David Li's Pasino Group, wanted to keep the residents as local as possible, with few investors. To do this he made the conscious decision not to sell the development through channel groups or to investor databases.
Highpark is a passion project for Li, who is a well-known philanthropist and the chairman of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
"He's not bottom-line focused, he lives locally, and his kids will likely take apartments in the building when it is completed," Bowtell added.
Highpark is under construction now through Crema Group's high-end construction arm Camilo, with completion expected toward the end of 2022.
There's been keen interest by first home buyers, given the affordable $480,000 entry point for a one-bedroom apartment. There's been a number of purchases by families who live locally and within walking distance who are buying for their kids.
"There's no difference in finishes between one bedroom apartments and the penthouse," Bowtell said.
The development has been designed by Rothelowman, one of Melbourne's top architecture firms, to react to its location, with the inspiration coming from the seasons of nature. There's extensive outdoor entertaining areas in the apartments, as well as outdoor communal gardens and terraces.
Four townhouses sit along the front of the development, directly on the trail. Three have already been snapped up.
Across the board Bowtell sees more enquiry during the lockdown months, around 20 per cent more week on week.
"There's a build up of enquiry, with no one being able to buy anything else in the meantime."
Bowtell recently sold out ROSANNA, a 27 townhouse development in Melbourne's north east, after just six weeks, with around four of those weeks spent in lockdown.
