Parramatta Seven-Storey Mixed Use Plans Lodged

Parramatta businessman Mark Mina has filed plans for a seven-storey mixed-use tower at the northern end of the city. 

If approved by the City of Parramatta Council, the project would deliver 45 residential apartments and ground floor retail tenancies on the 2025sq m site at 132 Victoria Road.

According to Ethos Urban town planning documents the application is for a variation on floor space ratio and building height. 

The application acknowledged that, at 26.5m, the height of the proposed building exceeded the mapped 15m height limit for the site.

Bonus floor space ratio for affordable housing is provided in the State Environmental Planning Policy for Housing—there is no equivalent bonus for building height. 

“As planning controls for building height are aligned with FSR, it is not possible to deliver a built form at the site that both utilises the affordable housing bonus FSR to maximise the provision of affordable housing, and also comply with the mapped 15 metre height limit,” the application said. 

Three ground floor retail tenancies would cover 745sq m and a loading dock, and the project would also include three levels of basement parking for 125 cars. 

The apartments on levels one to six would comprise three one-bedroom apartments, 15 two-bedroom units, and 27 three-bedroom apartments.

Sydney businessman Mark Mina is listed as the developer, and the plans are by JS Architects.

Of the 45 proposed apartments, 27 will be affordable and five will be adaptable apartments.

Currently the site houses low-density buildings, including a car wash and mechanics. According to Corelogic property data, Mina acquired the site in 2000 for $1.2 million.

The Victoria Road site is 1.2km from the Parramatta CBD and 18kms from the Sydney CBD.

The Western Sydney University Parramatta campus and the future Yallamundi station on the under-construction Parramatta Light Rail are about 500m to the east.

It is on the Victoria Road corridor, a major arterial road connecting Greater Sydney’s two CBDs of Sydney and Parramatta. 

Parramatta has attracted dozens of residential projects in the past few years, emerging as a build-to-rent testbed with plans such as Novus’ $200-million tower, as well as attracting big names including Gurner and Deicorp for major mixed-use and residential towers.