A landmark $90 million mixed-use high-rise development is set to join Sydney’s skyline, after the City of Sydney granted development approval this week.
The tower, straddling George and York Streets between King Street and the popular Queen Victoria Building, is to be known as York&George and will rise 38 storeys with the first six levels comprising a 7,000sqm retail and office podium below a stunning residential tower including 199 apartments in a range of configurations and sizes.
The planning approval process began late last year after developers Fife Capital acquired the 1,785sqm site.
York&George’s development approval at the City of Sydney council meeting this week makes it the most progressed of the residential developments currently planned within the CBD at this time.
Award-winning Melbourne-based John Wardle Architects (JWA) has created a striking design statement, with the building exterior appearing to comprise a glittering ‘weave’ pattern as the façade undulates from level to level.
The blending of York Street’s distinct heritage persona with George Street’s big-end-of-town buzz has been a core part of the planning process.
At ground level, York Street will be the main address for the apartments, offering residents exclusive access via a rare historic cartway dating from 1865. York&George’s dramatic arrival also features its Sky Lobby, Catwalk, Sky Garden and Sky Pool.
Marketed by Colliers International, York&George will include 199 studio, one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments. Residents will have access to a private lift from the historic York Street cartway entrance up to an exclusive lobby area, from which they can access an indoor/outdoor terrace with pool, gym, landscaped gardens, barbecues and seating.
York&George apartments feature innovative architectural design with living spaces interwoven with the city outside. Apartments comprise of living rooms facing out to the city with expansive floor to ceiling windows offering unique outlooks within the core of the city and then out to the Queen Victoria Building, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont and Circular Quay. Seen from the outside, successive floors shift in and out to create shimmering folds across its surfaces.
York&George sits within easy walking distance of some of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants, cafes and bars, and is also at the transport epicenter. The project is a short walk from Wynyard and Town Hall bus and train interchange and is adjacent to the planned route for the NSW Government’s George Street light rail.
Fife Capital Chief Investment Officer Alan Fife said York&George took full advantage of its unique location, linking the convenience and buzz of Sydney’s fashionable George and the historic York Street with its plethora of heritage buildings.
“The Sydney CBD is undergoing an exciting evolution with the introduction of more high-rise residential apartments. This style of living – close to work, great restaurants, a huge selection of convenience through to high-end shopping, and easy transport links – is growing in appeal.
“Developing with the City of Sydney is a complex process. Fife recognises this and is about to bring to market a DA-approved project, which gives buyers distinctly more certainty when making their investment decisions,” said Mr Fife.
Views from the apartments will offer a mix of the ever-changing ‘Manhattan-style’ inner city panoramas, along George Street, Darling Harbour and the Queen Victoria Building.
York&George will keep excellent company, with neighbours including global brands such as Apple and luxury, high-end brands like Louis Vuitton.
Peter Chittenden, Colliers International’s Managing Director Residential expects significant interest in the project both locally and from offshore buyers wanting the convenient Sydney base.
“York&George will put its residents right in the dress circle location of the inner CBD.
Sydney is undergoing gradual transformation of the working CBD into a 24-hour global, livable city and the project sits right in the midst of that change,” he said.
Mr Chittenden said the success of projects in the southern end of the city, including The Residences on College Street and The Hyde on Liverpool Street demonstrated a prevailing – and growing – demand for city living and all the benefits that go with it.
