Wesley Mission has filed plans for a $46.5-million community and supportive housing complex on a 5345sq m corner block at Curtin in the ACT.
The project would comprise 98 units targeting disadvantaged residents, essential workers and people with enduring mental illness.
The application covers the triangular block at 1 Martin Street, 7km south of the Canberra CBD, opposite Curtin shops and near the future light rail network.
The site is Crown land leased to The Uniting Church in Australia (Australian Capital Territory) Property Trust for ecclesiastical purposes. A lease variation is now being sought to include community housing and supportive housing as permissible uses.
AMC Architecture has designed the complex with Sustainable Development Group.
The proposal includes two six-storey buildings of 83 affordable rental units: 44 of one bedroom, 34 of two and five three-bedroom apartments.
The units would be leased at 74.9 per cent of market rent, targeting key workers in education, healthcare, retail, aged care, policing, and hospitality sectors.
A separate two-to-three-storey building, called MyHome, would provide 15 accessible units designed for residents with mental illness, and a caregiver’s unit.
MyHome in Canberra, an NGO formed in 2014, would collaborate on this part of the project.
The NGO would bring specialist expertise to manage the supportive housing component, while Wesley Mission would manage the broader affordable rental operation.
Site investigations ruled out below-ground parking due to geotechnical constraints, so 54 car spaces are proposed on the lower ground floor and 19 visitor spaces on Martin Street.
The organisation would also provide car sharing and electric bicycles for residents.
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The development would include rooftop solar panels, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and community gardens.
The existing brick house, which documents said was used for the “purpose of a church, a Manse, and associated ecclesiastical buildings”, and a garage would be demolished, as well as 30 established trees, including 13 protected specimens.
The new development would include a 150sq m community hall and landscaped public spaces connecting Yarra Glen to the shops.
Construction completion is targeted for late 2027.
The application addresses demand highlighted in the ACT Housing Strategy 2018-2028, noting high rental stress in the territory due to low vacancy rates.
Meanwhile, construction of light rail Stage 2A is under way. The $577-million extension to Commonwealth Park is due for completion in 2027, followed by Stage 2B that will extend the line to Woden.
Stage 2B to Woden would provide public transport for the Wesley development.
