Development group Growland have launched a $600 million mixed-use masterplanned urban village at Footscray.

Growland plans to develop its 13,500 sqm site at 8 Hopkins St into six buildings comprising 1000 apartments, a potential hotel and 4,000 sqm of retail space. It is expected to accommodate more than 3000 residents and 30 new retailers.

The precinct, designed by award-winning Melbourne architectural firm Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD) will be named Joseph Place.

KUD director Killy Kavellaris said the vision for the site was to create a vibrant urban zone that encouraged interaction in its public and private spaces. “The aim is to do something different and bring to Footscray a new style of living that celebrates connection and resonates with Footscray’s existing multicultural heritage and established food scene,” he said.

Growland was founded by property entrepreneur Bruce Chan and Melbourne architect Stephen Yau. Yau said Footscray was the same distance from the city as Richmond and was currently undergoing the same transformation Richmond underwent some years ago. “The inner west has been recognised as one of Melbourne’s most undervalued opportunities and is due for rapid growth over the next two to five years. The future growth potential of Footscray is huge and Joseph Place signals a renaissance in the area,” Yau said.

Pending approval, construction on Joseph Place hopes to commence in early 2017, with the first apartment building due to launch for sale over the coming months.

A HUGE $600 million urban development is being planned for a key site in Footscray close to the banks of the Maribyrnong River.

Property developer Growland wants to turn the 13,500 sqm site at 8 Hopkins St, Footscray into an urban village called Joseph Place, comprising of roughly 1000 apartments, a retail laneway with 30 outlets linking Footscray to the river, and an Olympic-sized running track.

It’s hoped the site will become a “hub for foodies” with a number of restaurants planned for the laneway.

Growland has also flagged the possibility of including a theatre and rock-climbing wall in the design.

Growland chief executive Mr Yau said Footscray was the same distance from the city as Richmond and was currently undergoing the same transformation Richmond underwent some years ago. “Footscray is currently in the midst of a demographic shift — attracting a new wave of students, young professionals and working families who are looking to reside in a well-connected community with easy access to transport services and state-of-the-art retail, dining and leisure facilities on their doorstep,” Mr Yau said.

“The inner west has been recognised as one of Melbourne’s most undervalued opportunities and is due for rapid growth over the next two to five years,” he said.

Architect firm Kavellaris Urban Design director Billy Kavellaris said the site would enhance all of the good qualities of Footscray. “The aim is to do something different and bring to Footscray a new style of living that celebrate connection and resonates with Footscray’s existing multicultural heritage and established food scene,” Mr Kavellaris said.

“We want this area to become a social, economic and residential hub on the city fringe that makes people’s lives better — and that’s achievable through a combination of great housing, world-class amenity and vibrant retail.”

Growland is hopeful of beginning construction on Joseph Place in early 2017, subject to project approval.

A new mixed-use urban village, which will include Melbourne’s first elevated Olympic running track, has been revealed as part of a planned $600 million development in Footscray.

Designed by Melbourne architectural firm Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD), the precinct will be named Joseph Place and proposes six residential buildings housing up to 1000 apartments. The development will also include a potential hotel, 4000sqm of retail space, expansive public open space, and a new retail laneway linking Footscray to the Maribyrnong River.

KUD director Billy Kavellaris said the vision for the site was to create a vibrant urban zone that encouraged interaction in its public and private spaces. “Joseph Place will elevate what’s on offer in Footscray, bringing its amenity in line with its inner city neighbours. The elevated Olympic-sized running track takes the idea of an apartment gym to the next level, encouraging health and wellbeing outdoors, but not out in the Melbourne traffic,” he said.

Kavellaris said the level of resident amenity, which may also include a rock climbing wall and theatre, was possible due to the site’s generous footprint and aimed to add value to residents’ lifestyles. “People want to interact with each other – it’s partly why cities are growing so rapidly and it informed how we approached the design of this site,” Mr Kavellaris said.

Developer Growland plans to transform the 13,500 square metre Footscray site into a new neighbourhood as part of the ongoing evolution of the inner city suburb. Growland CEO, Mr Yau, said Footscray is currently undergoing the same transformation Richmond underwent some years ago. “Footscray is currently in the midst of a demographic shift – attracting a new wave of students, young professionals and working families who are looking to reside in a well-connected community with easy access to transport services and state-of-the-art retail, dining and leisure facilities on their doorstep,” Mr Yau said.

“The inner west has been recognised as one of Melbourne’s most undervalued opportunities and is due for rapid growth over the next two to five years.”

Pending approval, construction on Joseph Place is planned to commence in early 2017, with the first apartment building due to launch for sale over the coming months.

Footscray is set for a fresh boom in apartment construction, with two of the suburb’s largest residential projects to further transform the skyline of the gentrifying suburb.

A mixed-use development of about 940 apartments in planned for an old car dealership at 8 Hopkins Street. The development, Joseph Place, is subject to state government approval because of its scale. Construction is scheduled to start early next year. Local developer Growland acquired the 13,500-square-metre site from state development agency Places Victoria for about $18 million in late 2013. The developer’s first foray into Melbourne includes six towers ranging from nine to 25 levels, overlooking the Maribyrnong River.

Nearby, a residential project on the Kinnears Ropeworks site is poised to add a further 1400 new dwellings. The finer elements of the final proposal for the 3.3-hectare Ballarat Road site are being negotiated between the developer and the council under mediation at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. There were 1371 units approved in Footscray last year, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows – a tenfold increase on the number of building approvals in 2013.

The two projects combined would translate into approval for more than 2300 apartments.

Growland’s proposal for the Hopkins Street site would see the residential towers connected by five-level podium, ground-floor shops and include a pool, bowling alley and 400-metre running track. One and two-bedroom apartments make up 95 per cent of the mix.

Growland chief Stephen Yau said “underdeveloped” Footscray offered an opportunity for a large-scale development not available in the east. He likened Footscray’s demographic shift to the transformation seen most recently in Richmond. Mr Yau hoped to differentiate his project from others in the Joseph Road precinct – including a 968-apartment development under construction at 22 Hopkins Street – through architectural design, amenities and retail.

Maribyrnong City Council director of planning services Nigel Higgins said the local population was expected to increase to 156,000 by 2041 – more than double that of five years ago. Mr Higgins expected the housing capacity of their redevelopment sites to meet the demand, but said the growth would come with challenges. They included job availability, people to fill skilled jobs and reliable, accessible transport.

RMIT University senior lecturer of global, urban and social studies Joe Hurley said Footscray was the right place for new supply. “The other alternative is that those 1000 dwellings get put out n the edge of Werribee, and (people) have to drive to the train station or along the freeway to get to work, and that’s not an ideal situation,” he said. “(Footscray) has very good public transport infrastructure to link it to the CBD, but also to the western region. It’s got high-order services already there, it’s got a thriving retail and growing commercial sector with lots of employment opportunities.”

Footscray is set to accommodate another massive apartment project within the Joseph Place Precinct Urban Renewal Area as developer Growland Group prepares to launch Joseph Place.

Set over a 13,500 square metre former Toyota dealership, the site is currently in the final stages of remediation with the beginnings of a display suite taking shape. Its purpose will be to woo prospective buyers for Joseph Place’s apartments which number near on 1,000.

The $600 million mixed-used master planned urban village which is expected to house up to 3,000 residents eventually will consist of six buildings, in addition to amenities such as Melbourne’s first elevated Olympic-sized running track, podium-top gardens and amenities and a retail laneway linking Footscray to the Maribyrnong River.

4-8 Hopkins Street has been in the planning system since 2013 with Place Victoria initiating a master planned outcome for the site which along with neighbouring sites forms the backbone of Joseph Road Precinct. Kavellaris Urban Design has been working on Joseph Place as project lead for an extended period of time with State Government approval for the development in the offing.

In addition to the roughly 1,000 apartments, a hotel has also been mooted for Joseph Place. Ground level will see 30 retailers split over 4,000 square metres of retail space and public open spaces, with an emphasis on food-driven outlets, continuing the trend of popular eateries in and around the area.

Melbourne’s inner west is set to undergo further renewal with plans in place by local developer Growland for a largely residential project overlooking the Maribyrnong River.

The 1000-unit apartment complex at 8 Hopkins Street Footscray, named Joseph Place, will be the closest western development site to the CBD and is expected to attract further development to the area following the government’s move to shift state agencies to the suburb in a bid to boost its economic base.

Growland is planning a series of six buildings with potential for a hotel, 4000 square metres of retail and public spaces. The precinct will house Melbourne’s first Olympic-sized elevated running track, plus a theatre and rock climbing wall.

Growland CEO, architect Stephen Yau said Footscray is currently undergoing the same transformation Richmond underwent years ago. “Footscray is in the midst of a demographic shift – attracting a new wave of students, young professionals and working families who are looking to reside in a well-connected community with easy access to transport services, state of the art retail, dining and leisure facilities on their doorstep,” Mr. Yau said. “The inner west has been recognised as one of Melbourne’s most undervalued opportunities and is due for rapid growth over the next to five years. “The future growth potential of Footscray is huge and construction on Joseph Place signals a renaissance in the area,” he said.

Designed by Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD), director Billy Kavellaris said the precinct is aimed to be a vibrant urban zone. “Joseph Place will elevate what’s on offer in Footscray, bringing amenity into line with its inner-city neighbours. “The aim is to do something different and bring Footscray to a new style of living,” he said.

Pending approval, construction on Joseph Place will begin early 2017. Growland acquired the 13,500 square metre site in Footscray for $17.5 million.