Plans for Mt Gravatt East’s Central Fair Shopping Centre site
A $100 MILLION transformation is planned to turn a disused shopping centre on Brisbane’s southside into a premier destination for retail, dining and living, with inspiration drawn from a game-changing overseas development.
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A $100 million redevelopment is planned to turn an “eyesore” on Brisbane’s southside into a premier destination for shopping, dining and living.
The 48 Creek Rd, Mt Gravatt East site, which was once owned by Masters and home to Central Fair Shopping Centre, will be redeveloped by Spotlight Group Holdings.
Joint owner and executive deputy chairman Zac Fried told the Southern Star in an exclusive interview his architects were drawing “inspiration” from Santana Row which is an upscale residential and commercial district of San Jose, California, in Silicon Valley.
‘LET THIS BE A WARNING TO OTHERS’: GRIM OUTLOOK
While no Development Application has been lodged with Brisbane City Council yet, Mr Fried hopes it will be in by 2019.
It comes as the Scurr Bros’ site owners announced they are planning to open up a health and wellness centre in mid-2019 and the businesses at Mt Gravatt Central are rallying to bring shoppers back to the area.
Spotlight Group Holdings bought the Creek Rd land in June 2017 for $4.84 million and it is now valued at $10 million.
It’s one of 19 sites Spotlight Group Holdings added to its “existing portfolio” after Masters went hit financial difficulty.
Mr Fried, whose father started Spotlight in 1973, said his company was starting construction on 20 developments in Australia and New Zealand with plans for 15 developments after that.
He said the Creek Rd site would be in the “second wave” and was “nothing to do with HomeCo”.
Mr Fried said Spotlight Group Holdings would be “slowly” developing all the sites.
“We have done a number of plans,” Mr Fried said speaking about the Mt Gravatt East site.
“(A DA) won’t be lodged this year.
“It is not a small job. It’s not a quick job.
“We are keen to do it.”
Mr Fried said the Creek Rd site was a “long-term family asset” and the company wanted to do the right thing by the locals.
“Mt Gravatt is a lovely area,” he said.
“We trade well in the area and want to look after the area.”
“We are very excited to be part of the landscape (in Mt Gravatt).
“We are committed to doing a great development (that) will last way into the future.”
Mr Fried said there was the potential for the company to move the current Spotlight store, located at 1290 Logan Rd, closer to the Mt Gravatt East site and backfill the current site with Anaconda but no decisions had been made.
Mr Fried said the “mixed-use development” was looking like a winner.
“It will be similar to that … office, retail and accommodation, with enough parking to satisfy those needs,” he said.
His preference would be build to rent apartments, although it was all in the “early stages” of planning and discussions with the site’s neighbours.
Mr Fried said he wanted to be “sympathetic to the area” and tick all the boxes.
“We are very happy to work with all our neighbours,” Mr Fried said.
“We all win together.”
The building was demolished 10 months ago to make the area safe and temporary fences have been erected.
Mr Fried said LED lights would soon be installed in the area to improve the lighting.
Neighbours have told the Southern Star the area had become a crime hotspot.
WHAT LOCALS THINK
Rod Jenkin, who has owned a block of units next to the site for more than 20 years, said he was looking forward to the redevelopment.
He said a mixed-use development with a “village” feel would be ideal.
“It lends itself to retail and units,” Mr Jenkin said.
“It would lift the whole area.
“My tenants would like to see the area improved and freshened up — at night you are not keen to walk through the (old) shopping centre site.
Mr Jenkin told the Southern Star the current site was an “an eyesore”.
“I don’t go around there because it is a bit sleazy and not well lit.
“(The site) needs to be maintained in a satisfactory manner (while it is sitting there unused).
“Because it is a populated area it is a bit distressing for the residents.”
Mr Jenkin said he had seen a lot of changes in the Mt Gravatt area over the years and was excited by the new plans for the Scurr Bros’s site.
He said he’d like to see Mt Gravatt Central seek some inspiration from the Bulimba area in regards to alfresco dining, being more user-friendly and more beautification of the strip.
“If they attract some novelty shops then people will come along,” Mr Jenkin said.
Mr Jenkin, who divides his time between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, would like to see light rail taken to the Mt Gravatt area.
WHAT BUSINESSES THINK
Veteran Mt Gravatt businessman Michael Sunderland, who is the sales manager and trainer at Karalis Real Estate at Mt Gravatt Central, said: “It’s a given that it will be a destination precinct because of who the owners are.
“It should also have a spotlight on entertainment with coffee, wine and dine and perhaps a mini cinema and/ or a mini brewery,” he said.
“For the children, teens and fit adults a climbing mountaineering gym would be great.
“The apartments could perhaps be larger and more up-market.”
Southside Chamber of Commerce president Kathleen Lewis told the Southern Star she would like to see the site redeveloped.
“Anything is better than nothing. This site is prime land with significant development in the area in the past few years. Close to major bus routes,” she said.
“It would be beneficial to the surrounding businesses as it would bring more foot traffic to the area.”
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