Beenleigh high-rise to kickstart economy hit by coronavirus

A flagging town, south of Brisbane, will get its first high-rise building in more than a decade with the project heralded as a lifeline for the local economy, which has taken a beating from the coronavirus.

An artist impression of the York St high-rise, the first in Beenleigh in a decade.

THE first high-rise building to be built in Beenleigh in more than a decade is being heralded as holding the key to Logan City Council’s future revenue flows.

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Work started on the seven-storey York St venture this week, days after Logan Mayor Darren Power told ratepayers the city was losing revenue because the development industry had stalled during the coronavirus.

Cr Power said the building, Beenleigh’s first high-rise commercial office development since 2010, would kickstart the city’s flagging economy creating 100 construction jobs and up to 140 full-time jobs when completed late next year.

A council press release also claimed the venture would create a massive “$40 million economic boom” for the city.

When built, it will be slightly taller than Beenleigh’s only other high-rise building, The Exchange, in City Rd, which is seven storeys.

Cr Power told media last week that revenue streams were drying up after 1600 requests from ratepayers to defer their bill payments because of the coronavirus.

He said the coronavirus costs to the council and its ratepayers were still unknown but last year development generated 30 per cent of the city’s revenue.

Council coffers were also taking a hit, he said, because the council paid the water bills for sports clubs and waived their lease fees.

Logan mayor Darren Power, second right, at a photo shoot with Alder Developments managing director Greg Alder, InvestLogan chair Steve Greenwood and Cr Karen Murphy with Beenleigh’s only high rise The Exchange in the background.

“We’re losing revenue, we’re finding it tough as well we’ve still got services operating and we’re still paying our bills and making things happen but our revenue is reducing quite dramatically,” he told local radio last week.

“We don’t know by how much so we are going to have to monitor it because this will go into the new financial year as well …

“You wouldn’t think that a second wave of coronavirus would come in but you don’t know. the last thing you want to do is not make the council sustainable.

“We’ve already released a stimulus package already and 1600 people in Logan have requested a deferment in payment of their rates and that’s growing every day.

“We’re helping sporting clubs with their water and are paying 100 per cent of their water and their lease fees have been waived.

“And we have relief packages for those who are struggling who don’t have any food.”

The new York St commercial building will have four small offices or apartments with ground-floor retail space and an underground carpark.

The project is part of the council’s Beenleigh Implementation Plan, designed at a 2017 think tank forum to kickstart the town.

The ground level will include a small-scale commercial and retail area, with a pedestrian only lane linking York St to John Lane and connected to Beenleigh Town Square with stacked gardens growing out of the building to “soften” its appearance.

InvestLogan chair Steve Greenwood said the construction was the next phase in revitalising Beenleigh and would encourage further private sector investment.