Orchard Piper Files Plans for Toorak’s Mercedes Site

Private developer Orchard Piper has filed plans for 43 luxury apartments in an eight-storey mixed-use development in one of Melbourne’s more affluent neighbourhoods.

The Melbourne-based firm, led by directors Luke McKie and Rick Gronow, has asked Stonnington City Council to be able to develop the 3589sq-m site at 7-11A and 17-19 Carters Avenue, Toorak—currently home to the ritzy suburb’s Mercedes-Benz dealership.

The $400-million project includes 14 two-bedroom apartments, 26 three-bedroom, a single four-bedroom and two penthouses, all on top of basement parking for 160 vehicles.

The Kerry Hill Architects (KHA) design will incorporate 13 office tenancies of 100 to 500sq m, five retail tenancies on the ground floor as well as a 180-seat restaurant. The developers are seeking a liquor licence as part of their application.

Orchard Piper snapped up the prized location on the doorstep of Toorak’s main shopping and dining strip for $67 million last year. The site had earlier been put up for sale by Karl Hagen and the family of his late business partner, John Worrell—whose father purchased the holding in 1932.

It has consolidated frontages of 65.2m to Carters Avenue and 46.3m to Ross Street.

It will be the third collaboration for Orchard Piper and award-winning KHA—best known for their hotel and resort portfolio that boasts several Aman Resorts destinations, including properties in New Delhi, Tokyo, Kyoto and Shanghai.

▲ The Kerry Hill Architects design will include five retail tenancies on the ground floor as well as a 180-seat restaurant.

KHA has also designed Toorak Village—another mixed-used building but with just nine luxury apartments, each with private lobbies—at 109 Mathoura Road, just a block from the developer’s latest project application.

The two projects bring to about 5000sq m the amount of land Orchard Piper has under development within one of Stonnington’s key growth areas.

Director Luke McKie told The Urban Developer he expected demolition to begin on the $120-million Mathoura Road development next month.

“I can tell you we have already sold over 50 per cent of the project,” McKie said. “That’s in excess of $60 million in sales in a matter of weeks.”

KHA’s Patrick Kosky said: “It was important for us to put forward a scheme that would pay respect to Toorak Village’s rich and charming heritage.

“The designs emphasise local materiality and hope to encourage an activated ground level which reflects the historic community village character of the area.”

Toorak remains Melbourne’s priciest suburb with CoreLogic’s Best of the Best report revealing 138 houses were sold in Toorak last year, with an average property value of $4,955,630.