Palmerston’s new-look property skyline takes shape

A  NEW multistorey apartment block, with ground-floor commercial space, has already become a key feature of Palmerston’s skyline

Property developer Carlo Randazzo, right, and Minister for Housing and Community Development Gerry McCarthy on site at the Palmerston Circuit multi-storey development

A  NEW multistorey apartment block, with ground-floor commercial space, has already become a key feature of Palmerston’s skyline.

Randazzo Properties’ Boulevard Plaza on Palmerston Circuit is a 12-storey complex with seven levels of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that boast commanding views across land and sea.

About 500 jobs were created during construction and, as the project nears completion, there are still about 100 workers on site.

With the NT Government signed up to lease 55 of the 77 units for social housing sub-leases, Minister for Housing and Community Development Gerry McCarthy recently toured the site with property developer Carlo Randazzo.

He said the ambitious construction would energise the Palmerston CBD and boost community safety and retail development.

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“Our social housing head leasing policy is designed to stimulate the private construction sector, underpinned by our investment in key service workers in industries such as health, education, childcare, sales, construction, agriculture and media,” Mr McCarthy said.

“Providing workers with affordable rentals provides flow-on benefits to retail, hospitality and service industries for example, and contributes to strong economic growth.”

Mr McCarthy said he was impressed with the planning, siting and construction details of the complex.

“The Randazzos have put years of work into the planning and design of the building, which allows for future development including another tower,” he said. “The proximity to amenities such as the bus interchange, shops and other public spaces makes it a fine example of modern urbanism. It will be a great asset to Palmerston and will help to shape the future of the city as a vibrant, well-resourced, safer community.”

Mr Randazzo said the NT Government commitment to head leasing was integral to the project.

“We definitely wouldn’t have gone ahead with the development without knowing it would be a viable project,” Mr Randazzo said.

“Boulevard Plaza is a significant reinvestment in the market and is a tangible demonstration of our confidence in the Territory’s future.

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“This project is an opportunity to offer a product not currently available in the Palmerston area and having the NT Government come on board with the head lease arrangement provided the certainty we needed to progress with our plan.”

The Randazzo family has been building residential, office and industrial properties in the Northern Territory for more than 60 years, since Tony Randazzo, an Italian migrant, arrived in Darwin in 1954 as a 20-year-old.

He first landed on Australian shores at Perth as a 16-year-old in search of the opportunities and unique lifestyle on offer and says he never looked back. Tony remains the patriarch of the family, although Carlo and his brother Paolo now run the company.

Tenants, who can apply for leases at Boulevard Plaza through Elders Real Estate Darwin, are expected to move in from early next year.