The CBD’s expansion into the Fortitude Valley continues with a new development application by Kenlynn Projects for a fifteen storey commercial tower located at 949 Ann Street, next to Alex Perry Residential and across from the Emporium complex.
The proposed commercial building which has been designed by The NRA Collaborative consists of 13,630 sqm of gross floor area (GFA). The tower would consist of 12 storeys of commercial space above a three level podium which consists of two ground level retail tenancies facing Ann Street which have a total of 390 sqm GFA.
The building floor plates range from 890 sqm to 1070 sqm in size. The development would have 71 car parking spaces, 91 bicycle parks and end of trip facilities are proposed within the three level basement and ground level.
A rooftop level and sky gardens at several levels are also proposed for ancillary recreational purposes and are supplemented by various planting opportunities, a roof garden and amenity facilities.
According to The NRA Collaborative, careful attention has been paid to the facade design to ensure attractive architectural treatments, building materials and subtropical design elements are incorporated in accordance with the ‘New World City Design Guide – Buildings that Breathe’.
Former Development Application
949 Ann Street has had a few different schemes proposed. A previous development application made on the same site by Kenlynn Projects was submitted in November 2013 for what was known as ‘Laurence Hotel’. This application was replaced by a mixed residential and hotel development application in February 2015 which comprised of 42 two bedroom apartments and 70 hotel rooms. This proposal effectively removes the proposed 42 apartments from future Brisbane apartment supply.
Opinion
Recently the Fortitude Valley has seen a surge of new commercial development activity as the CBD struggles to adequately supply commercial space in keeping with demand. The Valley also offers businesses a more affordable near-city address.
On the flip side, this north eastern part of the Valley also severally lacks high capacity functional mass transit options for both residents and future workers, a problem that BrisbaneDevelopment.com has called out and subsequently put forward an idea for an East-West MTR style metro line. A proposal you can read more about by clicking here, which would future proof the area from chronic gridlock forecasted to cost Inner City Brisbane hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity.
The development application number for this project is A004691985.
I’m all for the developement ideas and progress of the valley.. but for god sake make sure the infrastructure can keep up!? The roads are narrow and our reliance on personal vehicles and busses to and around the area is getting crazy already. Brisbane needs to think and act wisely if they want to reap the benefits of these developments and rapid population growth. The western metro sounds brilliant! What about light rail through the area and restricting large trucks?