D-Day locked in for $250m Geelong hotel, apartment project – Beragampengetahuan

McGrath projects Geelong Newtown director Jim Cross, left, director and CEO of Amber Rachael Brady, Director of Amber Jevan Clay and McGrath projects Geelong Newtown project sales associate Brock Buchanan. Picture: Alison Wynd

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The date is set to begin demolition of a Geelong city block to make way for a $250m development including a five-star hotel, luxury apartments, retail precinct and 650-seat auditorium.

Amber Property Group director Jevan Clay revealed demolition of the Grace Church building, formerly a ten-pin bowling lanes in Corio St, was scheduled to start on November 15.

Amber is working with Acts Global Churches to develop Cunningham Place on the block bound by Gheringhap St, Corio St, Transit Pl and Clare St.

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Mr Clay said Commonwealth Bank, the senior funding partner for the project, had set a 70 per cent precommitment target for the project, but Geoff Brady-backed Amber would fund the early stages, such as demolition and the diversion of a major storm drain around site to allow construction to begin by the middle of next year.

Amber Property Group CEO Rachael Brady, left, McGrath projects Geelong director Jim Cross, Amber Property Group director Jevan Clay and McGrath Projects sales associate Brock Buchanan with the Cunningham Place model. Picture: Alison Wynd

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Mr Clay said Hacer and Icon were short-listed for the tier one building contract. The project should be completed in 2028, he said.

Negotiations were also close to signing a major international brand to operate the 180-room, five-star hotel, he said, while Amber was also in talks with Woolworths to run the supermarket, likely to be Geelong’s first Metro store, that will open from Corio St.

Artist renders present a ground view of the Cunningham Place development from Gheringhap St.

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The development overlooks Geelong’s waterfront behind Deakin University.

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The project will also host more than 2500sq m of co-working office space, plus street-level retail and medical suites. Two basement car parks will offer 300 car spaces and a pool, gym and gold class cinema for residents.

While the project is designed to activate all four street frontages, the key will be the porte-cochere, or covered entrance to the hotel and the residential entrance off Gheringhap St.

Access to the commercial facilities, such as co-working spaces and medical suites will be from Clare St, while the supermarket and auditorium will be on Corio St.

An artist’s render of the hotel gym at Cunningham Place.

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An artist render of a gold class-style cinema for residents at Cunningham Place.

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Sales are soon the kick off for the 71 apartments in the project, with a VIP launch planned next week before the Cunningham Place display suite on Eastern Beach Rd is revealed.

McGrath Projects Geelong director Jim Cross is expecting Cunningham Place to have broad appeal, given the one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments on offer, with the largest ones dubbed sky homes having up to 500sq m of indoor and outdoor floorspace.

Mr Cross said it would be Geelong’s best CBD waterfront project.

Artist renders from inside the apartments at the Cunningham Place development in Geelong.

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Artist renders from inside the apartments at the Cunningham Place development in Geelong.

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“Amber Property Group have been amazing to work with through the whole planning process. and we’re proud to be representing them in geelong’s newest development,” he said.

Families were expected to join professional couples, investors and downsizers buying in the project, Mr Cross said.

“We’ve got four-bedroom homes with 100 to 200sq m balconies, so you could have two proper, full-size living areas, the bedrooms are huge and it’s got heaps of storage.

Artist renders present a view of the rooftop balconies at the Cunningham Place development in Geelong.

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“A big part of the market will be people that are downsizing from big family homes or are selling acreage,” Mr Cross said.

“They are still wanting a really nice, big product so they can host Christmas Day and that sort of thing.

“The reality is you’re not really downsizing the home, it’s just downsizing the maintenance.”