They've already got the go-ahead but the developer of a $16 million Flinders Street apartment complex wants to go even higher.
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Blaq Projects' nine-storey, 114-apartment development across five lots south of Lever's Art Supplies was approved by the Southern Regional Planning Panel in October last year.
Since then, the state government has changed the planning policy to encourage the building of affordable housing, which include the allowance of greater building heights and floor space ratios if that sort of home is incorporated.
The affordable housing component needs to be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider for at least 15 years.
The maximum building height for the site allowed under the Wollongong Local Environment Plan is 32 metres. But with the changes to the state building policy that maximum rises to 41.6 metres - the height of the proposed building.
Now a revised development application for the site at 32-40 Flinders Street has been lodged with Wollongong City Council.
The changes include an extra 38 apartments - taking the total up to 152 - and another three storeys. Twenty-six of the units will be classed as affordable housing.
Extra parking in the basement would also be created in the revised development.
"To accommodate the additional residential apartments (including affordable housing units), the basement floor levels have been amended to ensure additional car parking and storage areas commensurate with this increase can also be accommodated," the application stated.
"Total car parking on site has been increased from 158 spaces (approved) to 203 spaces (proposed)."
A traffic study noted the development would be a "high trip generator" in the morning peak but not the evening.
Once the trips of the existing businesses on the five lots was taken out, the revised development would account for 98 vehicle trips in the morning peak and 23 in the evening.
The study claimed the traffic impacts on nearby streets from the development were considered "acceptable".
"According to the intersection assessment, the additional trips can be accommodated in the nearby intersections for the existing with mixed-use traffic as well as the 10-year forecast with mixed-use traffic without significantly affecting the performance of any turn movement, approach arm or the overall intersection," the study said.
The revised development application is on public exhibition until May 6.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
