Two new high-rises confirmed for CBD in $83m deal

An $83 million residential development combining homes and businesses has been confirmed for the new Maroochydore CBD.

COMING: An artist's impression of the new $83 million project in the CBD being delivered by Habitat Development Group. Picture: Contributed

AN $83 million residential development combining homes and businesses has been confirmed for the new Maroochydore CBD.

Brisbane-based Habitat Development Group has announced its plans to develop two towers in the new $430 million city centre and six innovative new 'Small Office Home Office (SOHO)' townhomes.

Habitat's managing director Cleighton Clark said their innovative plans had been driven by the CBD's urban design and digital connectivity.

"SOHO townhomes are designed to have the efficiency of an office with the comfort of a home," Mr Clark said.

"They are spread over two or three floors, depending on the size of the SOHO, with light, ventilation, noise and access to telecommunications and Internet connectivity all critical design considerations."

The Habitat development will cover 4158sq m at the northern end of the 53ha site.

CHANGING: The site of the new Maroochydore CBD in September. Picture: Contributed

The first stage is proposed to be a 12-storey tower made up of 65 apartments, with building set to start in the second half of 2019.

Stage Two would be a 14-storey tower with communal rooftop terrace and pool and house 81 apartments.

The third stage would allow for six of the SOHO townhomes.

The announcement comes after Sunshine Coast-based development firm Evans Long announced in June its plans for an eight-storey building in the CBD's core commercial precinct.

The Evans Long plans were for a building with about 4500sq m of commercial office space.

Meanwhile the Sunshine Coast Council is forging ahead with its plans to build a nine-storey 'tower of power' in the city centre, which would become the region's new city hall.

The proposed 39.7m high building which would accommodate 600 council staff would have a rooftop restaurant/cafe and also included some commercial and retail tenancies.

Commentator Bernard Salt said millenials and baby boomers would embrace the new city centre as a desirable place to live and work in his report The Activated City: Imagining the Sunshine Coast in 2040.

He described the region as a "hotbed" of start-up action.

Mayor Mark Jamieson said the Habitat initiative made sense for the new CBD.

"The new Maroochydore City Centre aims to be one of the most digitally advanced in the country, making Habitat's innovative SOHO townhomes a logical and exciting inclusion for this project," Cr Jamieson said.

SunCentral CEO John Knaggs said interest in the CBD was coming from a diverse range of sectors including technology, professional services, health, education, hospitality and government and numerous submissions had been received.

"Because the new city centre is being built on a greenfield site, and with the recent announcement of an International broadband submarine cable landing adjacent to the site, we have an opportunity to create a city centre with unprecedented communications and technological abilities," he said.

"This is a major drawcard for companies seeking to establish, expand or re-locate, and we look forward to making further announcements about plans for other sites in the new city centre."

A SunCentral spokeswoman confirmed last month that a number of deposits had been taken on sites within the new CBD and there had been rumours of interest from major tech firms.

But HP Inc CEO Dion Weisler hosed down speculation he'd been eyeing off a presence in the new city centre, after he visited the region on personal business a few weeks ago.

Google had previously been linked but it's understood the search engine giant's interests remained in Sydney.