Stockland proposal at Toowong Woolworths site

[verbatim9]

https://brisbanedevelopment.com/stockland-plans-huge-redevelopment-toowong-woolworths-site/


Just regarding the Stockland proposal at Toowong. Wonder if they will rectify the bus stop situation @ High street and left turn into Sherwood Road? A third only concrete indented lane/busbay maybe be appropriate here working with the developer on High street Northbound.

[James]

More apartments!? At least three towers have gone up in the last 12 months, and here we are about to build another three, yet alone the three soon to go up on the ABC site, and I think there's one going up around the corner.

Welcome from a TOD perspective, can't help but think that this will make the area even more congested both in terms of pedestrian and car traffic unless something is done to improve the amenity and traffic flow in the area. Not to mention apartment prices in this area will plummet shortly with so many being built...

[verbatim9]

More apartments!? At least three towers have gone up in the last 12 months, and here we are about to build another three, yet alone the three soon to go up on the ABC site, and I think there's one going up around the corner.

Welcome from a TOD perspective, can't help but think that this will make the area even more congested both in terms of pedestrian and car traffic unless something is done to improve the amenity and traffic flow in the area. Not to mention apartment prices in this area will plummet shortly with so many being built...

Well I guess the original plan was for a Metro from Toowong. Maybe a line can run City, Cultural Centre then South Brisbane, West End, Cross the river then Toowong, down Sir Fred Schonell Drive to UQ then West across to Indooroopilly with a interchange at the station and termination at Indooroopilly Shoppingtown?

[#Metro]

More apartments!? At least three towers have gone up in the last 12 months, and here we are about to build another three, yet alone the three soon to go up on the ABC site, and I think there's one going up around the corner.

Interest rates are really low, which means that more projects are possible.

Approve it! More apartments around stations, the better!

[City Designer]

The plans as submitted show an indented bus bay capable of two buses.

[verbatim9]

The plans as submitted show an indented bus bay capable of two buses.

Cool, Thanks! That's great news. Common sense prevails

[aldonius]

Excellent. More apartments. More. Flood the market. With investor tears as the 'oversupply' hits. And renter tears too -- cheap rent!

[#Metro]

Excellent. More apartments. More. Flood the market. With investor tears as the 'oversupply' hits. And renter tears too -- cheap rent!

There is really no such thing as "oversupply". Developers will build until the profit is so low, it would be better to park the money in an alternative investment like a bond etc.

When (if) the bubble bursts, plenty of affordable housing to be had for the next 10 years!

[City Designer]

The traffic report submitted with the development application says the stop will be upgraded to a TransLink premium stop with an indented bus bay with capacity for two rigid buses in accordance with the Toowong—Auchenflower neighbourhood plan and the TransLink Public Transport Infrastructure Manual.

[verbatim9]

It's good that it's been noticed  alot of traffic can queue behind buses in the morning as currently no room for them to pull in.

[City Designer]

As long as the buses can pull out after boarding. The problem with indented bus bays approaching traffic lights is it is difficult to pull out without B lights.

[verbatim9]

Just reading the DA for Stockland Toowong. It seems that council requested a 3000sqm supermarket to be left out of the application. That would just leave one supermarket at Toowong Village. Which means people will have to travel for choice to Indooroopilly or to Paddington for a Woolworths, or further a field for an Aldi. Be good to have a supermarket at the base of the new development. It would also make sense not to have busy retail facing High street, but a design similar to the Emporium in the Valley where cafes and retail face inwards towards the centre of the development. This would provide a better and sustainable retail model. Glass frontage facing High Street would look good and help bring attention to passing, pedestrian traffic of retail within the complex. "Major TODS like this one best to include a large format supermarket to avoid unnecessary trips to neighbouring suburbs creating congestion"

[#Metro]

It seems that council requested a 3000sqm supermarket to be left out of the application.

That is really weird. In fact, it smells funny.

I wonder if behind the scenes there are lobbyists from the supermarket in Toowong to deny the site for use as a supermarket.

It is a known thing that supermarkets hire lobbyists and try to deny their competitors land to put their operations on.

It seems even more unusual that BCC would request deletion of an amenity. The normal case is to insist on the provision of an amenity.

In an unrelated note, the reason why Woolies looks so ugly in that area is apparently planning rules prevent the supermarket having a front facing a main road. Hence, everyhthing facing the road has been whitewashed out.

[City Designer]

Retail applications are regularly contentious. Nothing new here.

[James]

In an unrelated note, the reason why Woolies looks so ugly in that area is apparently planning rules prevent the supermarket having a front facing a main road. Hence, everyhthing facing the road has been whitewashed out.

There is a story behind this Woolies (dating back several decades). Back in the day, this was the major Woolies in the western suburbs - back when all the shops closed at midday on Saturdays for the weekend and the wife stayed at home to wash clothes and look after the kids.

Over time, Indro came along and grew in the 70s, and then Toowong Village came along in the 80s (with a Coles in tow), eating away at Woolworths Toowong. The Woolies there is now the butt of many jokes about how quiet it is, particularly when compared to the Coles. While (according to a post techblitz made somewhere) the Toowong Coles is one of the busiest in SEQ, the Toowong Woolies still very much languishes and is a very dated store. Woolies leaving the Toowong site doesn't surprise me, who knows, they may be planning to move down the road to Taringa, or to somewhere more profitable in the west.

[aldonius]

Where in Taringa, though? I can only think of three sites which are large enough: the Mazda dealership on Harrys Rd, the Toyota dealership on Beatrice St, or the block on the NE corner of Morrow/Swann. None have current Development Applications; indeed only the Mazda place has any listed DAs, and they're dealership-related.

[verbatim9]

Where in Taringa, though? I can only think of three sites which are large enough: the Mazda dealership on Harrys Rd, the Toyota dealership on Beatrice St, or the block on the NE corner of Morrow/Swann. None have current Development Applications; indeed only the Mazda place has any listed DAs, and they're dealership-related.

^^Wasn't Woolworths previously in Taringa nearby Montezumas prior to moving to a full line site at Indooroopilly Shoppingtown? I maybe mistaken.

[James]

Where in Taringa, though? I can only think of three sites which are large enough: the Mazda dealership on Harrys Rd, the Toyota dealership on Beatrice St, or the block on the NE corner of Morrow/Swann. None have current Development Applications; indeed only the Mazda place has any listed DAs, and they're dealership-related.

The site on the NE corner of Morrow/Swann was originally slated as a Coles before the GFC happened (and then Indro announced its expansion). Could very easily become a Woolies site. Would be "conceding" Toowong, but would gain the traffic from Taringa and the station around there.

Just because there isn't a current DA, doesn't mean there wouldn't be one in the pipeline. Woolies might be waiting until they can be profitable again - that Morrow/Swann block isn't going anywhere any time soon given the lack of action on the site.

[petey3801]

Wasn't that block originally Woolies, then Coles? Or was that just a Woolies staff rumour? (Purely out of curiosity!)

[aldonius]

In any event, if I were Woolworths management, I'd be trying to establish a new store at Milton... there's no standout site there though; you really want main road frontage. The IGA on Baroona Rd is almost right, it's just the wrong end of the complex and half the size.

[tazzer9]

In any event, if I were Woolworths management, I'd be trying to establish a new store at Milton... there's no standout site there though; you really want main road frontage. The IGA on Baroona Rd is almost right, it's just the wrong end of the complex and half the size.

The new building next to milton station was a lost opportunity for this.