Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village to become Smith Collective rental complex

RENTAL and retail – that’s the future of the Commonwealth Games athletes village that will soon be home to up to 2500 people including academics, students, scientists, doctors and nurses.

RENTAL and retail – that’s the future of the Commonwealth Games athletes village that will soon be home to up to 2500 people including academics, students, scientists, doctors and nurses.

And there will be no going back to the old name of Parklands, when the site used to be the city’s showgrounds and trotting and greyhound racing venue.

A new era in accommodation and shopping purpose demands a cool new name: the complex, sitting next to the health and knowledge precinct comprising Griffith University and the Gold Coast University Hospital, will be called Smith Collective.

In a Gold Coast first, every one of the 1251 apartments and townhouses in the former athletes village will be offered solely for long-term rent.

The $550 million residential and retail centre will include 18 apartment towers, 82 double-storey townhouses and a 6280 sqm retail hub, with Woolworths and BWS already confirmed as retailers.

Inside the new Smith Collective rental complex.

Michael Woodrow, executive director of Smith Collective project manager UBS Asset Management, said international trends showed people were increasingly willing to forgo home ownership in favour of the quality of lifestyle and location offered by precincts such as Smith Collective.

“Our vision is to create a thriving community unlike anything the Gold Coast has seen,” he said.

“Research shows that while an increasing number of people want to live where they work, shop and play, they also yearn for the security of long-term leases and ability to add personal touches to their homes.

“By maintaining ownership of Smith Collective’s residential offering, we are able to grant those wishes and help our residents and retailers build a sense of community often lost within large-scale urban developments.

Balcony and living areas.

“Smith Collective will be home to a collective of like-minded, everyday people, from academics, students and healthcare workers engaged in the neighbouring tertiary and hospital precincts to young professionals, families and downsizing retirees searching for an active lifestyle.”

With internal works due to be completed in December, the Southport development will feature modern, bright and airy self-contained apartments and townhouses.

Residents will be able to select from 532 one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments, 637 two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments, and 82 townhouses featuring three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with prices starting from $380 a week.

Prices start from $380 a week.

The dwellings will be released in stages as the community grows, with a population of 2500 people expected once complete.

Once open, the retail precinct will feature boutique retailers from health and wellness services to homewares, while a dining precinct will line the main street and offer alfresco day and night dining.

The name “Smith Collective” was chosen as a geographical link to the Smith St Motorway, which the complex is situated on.

Smith Street was originally a much smaller street in Southport that was extended over time.

The origins come from a family in Southport called Smith, however local historians contacted by the Bulletin yesterday were unsure of their historical significance.

An official “family friendly’’ opening weekend will be held next Friday and Saturday with live music, food trucks and workshops to demonstrate the feeling of community the operators want to achieve.

Potential residents have been invited to inspect the complex and register their interest.