Mackay Waterfront PDA plan adds breweries, coffee roasters
There’s a strong focus on arousing the senses with new breweries, coffee roasters and a possible adult store for Mackay’s riverfront. See what else the beachside project could include.
Mackay
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A mammoth suite of changes has been put forward for a multimillion dollar project poised to overhaul Mackay and draw in tourists.
The proposed amendments to the Mackay Waterfront Priority Development Area scheme span 88 pages across each of the five precincts: the Mackay city; Riverside; Enterprise; Queens Park; and Beachside.
There are multiple mentions of breweries, coffee roasters and alcohol distilleries, as well as provisions for a resort complex at Town Beach and accommodations for electric vehicles.
See the list of 23 key changes below.
Mackay councillors are recommended to vote yes to the suggested changes at the ordinary meeting of Mackay Regional Council on Wednesday.
If councillors approve, the amendments will be forwarded to Economic and Development Queensland Minister Steven Miles for his tick of approval, and then proceed to public consultation.
Documents state the revisions are timely given the PDA development scheme came into affect more than three years ago.
The first completed project of the Waterfront PDA plan was the $8.86m revitalisation of Queens Park, finished in mid-2020.
Presently, there are works under way on the first of three stages of the $10m Riverside Link Revitalisation project.
Future Riverside actions include a pontoon and improvements to MRC’s building at 8 River St which formerly operated as the restaurant Don Daniels on the River and before that, Maria’s Donkey.
Key changes to the Mackay Waterfront PDA:
1. Adds an explicit goal to strengthen the “city’s relationship to the Pioneer River and Coral Sea”.
2. Newly mentions “passive surveillance” integrated across street frontages and public spaces.
3. Outlines non-residential premises could include: an adult store; agricultural supplies store; childcare centre; major sport, recreation and entertainment facility; nightclub; service station, and/or tourist attraction.
4. Provides more opportunities for roof tops to be used for bar or food and drink outlets.
5. Newly mentions residential and accommodation activities above the ground floor within the Mackay city centre. It also includes a new focus on strategies and initiatives to increase townhouse and apartment living near the city centre.
6. Adds low impact industries – including brewery, coffee roasting and alcohol distilling – as preferred land uses within the Mackay city centre.
7. Outlines development within the Mackay city centre precinct must regard the “unique art deco architecture” and support laneway activations where a site fronts a laneway.
8. Adds buildings of five or more storeys next to heritage places must not impact on views to and from the heritage place.
9. Newly mentions carparking areas to consider “readiness” for future charging of electric vehicles.
10. Outlines parks including: River St, Wood St and Town Hall parks in the Mackay city precinct; Bluewater Quay, Riverside Link, Burns St, Fisher’s Tale, and Sandfly Creek parks in the Riverside precinct; Iluka Park in the Beachside precinct; and Queens Park.
11. Outlines “energy reduction” as a sustainability target.
12. Specifies the public realm will include shade tree planting.
13. Outlines preferred land uses within the Riverside precinct between Sydney St and the River St boat ramp to also include a hospital and low impact industry involving a brewery, coffee roasting and/or distilling alcohol.
14. Bundles WH Paxton Warehouse to the Leichhardt Tree as significant items to be protected and reserved.
15. Adds new focus in the Enterprise precinct on activities that brew, bake, and/or make products to sell directly to the public “to increase the vibrancy and diversity”.
16. Creates provision for a food and drink outlet within the Queens Park precinct on primary frontage on the corner of Chain and East Gordon St, while banning new service stations.
17. Adds explicit mention to building heights within the Beachside precinct which runs along Binnington Esplanade at Town Beach. Accommodation, residential and complementary commercial, tourism and recreation activity buildings in sub-precinct 5A, between East Gordon St and Kippen St, could be up to eight storeys “to activate and capitalise on the oceanfront locality”.
18. Adds preferred land uses for sites in sub-precinct 5A where located in the up to five storey and up to eight storey areas include unit dwellings, indoor sport and recreation, and a resort complex.
19. Switches references to cyclists to “active transport” modes to be more inclusive of the range of micro-mobility modes. This comes after councillors endorsed the new electric Beam scooters across the city earlier this year.
20. Outlines primary pedestrian and active transport connections including: the Bluewater Trail, Cross City Link, Queens Park to City Link, Queens Park to Town Beach Link, a potential route along Tennyson St that links south to Cross City Link, and a possible route along Evan St connecting west to Binnington Esplanade.
21. Introduces “facilities for the storage and charging of micro-mobility devices”.
22. Strengthens focus on housing that “deliver(s) choice, adaptability and diversity to cater to a range of needs and incomes”.
23. Adds mention of the council to collaborate with landowners in the PDA to “manage and minimise the risk of small-scale piecemeal development” that would comprise the precincts’ intents.
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