Lawrence St, Freshwater: Eastern suburbs developer reveals $34m shop top apartment plan
A strip of shops in the main street of a Sydney beachside suburb is the target of a $34m apartment proposal by one of the city’s biggest developers. Take a look.
NSW
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Plans have emerged for a proposed $34m apartment development that could transform the main street in Freshwater Village.
The shop-top block, on the corner of Lawrence and Dowling streets, will be made up of 30 units as well as nine ground floor shops or eateries.
Details of the proposal are part of a development application lodged with Northern Beaches Council this week.
A property search showed that the block – 10-28 Lawrence St – sold for close to $9.5m in 2020 to eastern suburbs-based commercial property developer Robert Burger.
Mr Burger, aged in his mid-70s and living at Vaucluse, was described in the Australian Financial Review as “one of Sydney’s biggest property owners”.
The development lodged by his company, Lawrence St Pty Ltd, is seeking permission to demolish the existing shops, offices and rooftop carpark and replace them with four, four-storey adjoining apartment blocks.
It would include a 268sq m public plaza fronting Lawrence St, as well as 62 underground parking spots for shoppers and 42 spaces for residents.
Six apartments would be set aside for “affordable housing”.
In documents lodged with the application, the developer stated that the project would reinforce and enhance the “role of Freshwater Village as a centre for the local community, delivering retail and residential uses to meet the needs of people who live, work in and visit the area”.
The shopping strip has long been the focus of local attention after a previous owner spoke publicly about revitalising the village’s main street.
In September 2019, this masthead reported that the block’s previous owner, Chris Zakos, had plans to upgrade its shops, offices and eateries.
Mr Zakos said he was going to spend “some serious money to bring it back to life”.
“I will spend what I have to spend to bring something unique back into Freshwater,” he said.
In 2012, planners had given approval for a shop-top housing development on the site, with 19 apartments, but the project never went ahead.
Its current business tenants include Tempo Reformer Pilates, Deep Sea Food, Freshwater Dry Cleaners, Magnolia homewares, and Ciccia aperitif bar and restaurant.
Tempo Reformer Pilates owner Erin Whitbread said that she had been aware for some time that the block was earmarked for redevelopment.
She said she had been advised that current tenants would be given first opportunity for new leases if the shop top project got the go-ahead.
But Ms Whitbread, who opened her business at 16B Lawrence St two years ago, said she recently decided she would move her studio out of its current premises to a new location.
She will soon relocate into the former Laing and Simmons estate agency office at 23 Lawrence St.
“This has been a great location for foot traffic, but I knew I would have to move eventually because of the redevelopment,’’ she said.
“So I took the opportunity to get a premises on the street front, just across the road from where I am now.”
Ms Whitbread, who now has a “For Lease” sign in the studio’s window, said it would probably be another year before the other businesses had to move.
“I think the redevelopment will look amazing and continue the revitalisation of Lawrence St.”
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Originally published as Lawrence St, Freshwater: Eastern suburbs developer reveals $34m shop top apartment plan
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