Rob Carr’s latest project Emu Park Apartments to provide new housing options for growing demand at Capricorn Coast

New plans have been proposed for a $35 million, 47-apartment building with two commercial spaces, a gym and pools to be built in the Emu Park CBD. Full details here.

A new $35 million, seven-storey proposed development to be built in the heart of Emu Park has the potential to take the sleepy seaside town to the next level, providing jobs, a huge range of residential and accommodation living options and new retail opportunities.

The proposed development, spearheaded by well-known Rockhampton developer Rob Carr, would be the first of its kind for the township and the first development for many decades.

The L-shaped building would be built across the vacant land on the corner of Pattison and Granville streets, across from the Pine Beach Hotel, up Granville Street and the corner of Archer Street.

The corner building where the Honey Bee Collective is, and the row of shop tenancies where an accountants and a fish and chip shop are, would be removed to make way for the development.

The existing structures on Granville Street that will be removed to make way for the development. INSET: The vacant corner block on Pattison and Granville Streets.

Mr Carr bought 19 Pattison Street for $715,000 earlier this year and 2 Pattison Street for $440,000 in 2019.

The development has seven storeys above ground and two basement levels for parking, with a combined 149 car parks and seven motorcycle parks on site.

Floor plan details for the ground floor which features the commercial/ retail space, gym, entry/lobby and pool areas.

The ground floor features two retail/commercial spaces, with the potential for one to be a restaurant, a terrace with a lap pool and a wade pool, an outdoor dining area, gym and lobby/entry area (accessed from Pattison Street).

The apartments vary in size from two bedrooms up to four bedrooms with multiple bathrooms, studies and multi-purpose rooms.

The floor plan of the rooftop level which features deeper balconies.

All of the apartments have balconies and have been designed to face the road frontage to capture the breeze, sunlight and views of the ocean, iconic Singing Ship and Anzac Memorial Walk.

The development will be an l-shape across the corner of Granville, Archer and Pattison Streets.

“I think Emu Park is a great spot on the coastline of Queensland,” Mr Carr said.

“The area that the building will sit in is on the fringe, close to waterside, it will create employment for people in the area which I am very happy with.”

The project, which Mr Carr estimates to cost between $30-$35 million, would be the highest development in the town, with other existing properties at a maximum of four storeys.

The council application notes the houses nearby would not have their views affected as most of the properties have a “wide view corridor” and the proposed building would only interfere with part of that.

“It is all about progress,” Mr Carr said.

“I’m not working against the village atmosphere, I want to work with the village.

“Some people have come to me and said ‘it’s about time that something like this has happened at Emu Park’, they have been waiting for a long time.”

A 3D drawing of what the Emu Park development will look like. Credit: CotteeParker.

Mr Carr is no stranger to coastal developments, having been involved in a number of coast subdivisions and the Villa Mar Colina motel in Yeppoon in 2000.

“I’m very happy with the project, we have altered plans, good landscaping over the site …. we have really tried to push the right buttons to get the project right,” he said.

The project will now go through the council approval process and once approved, it is expected it would take 18-months to build.

The council application notes the development will provide short-term rentals as well as long-term residential living, offering an alternative lifestyle choice to the traditional house on a large lot.

Emu Park, at last official count, had a population of 5895 and it is estimated that will grow to 7217 by 2026.

The development would also provide a new accommodation option amid a tight rental market as more people relocate to the region as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A search of rentals on realestate.com.au by this publication on November 2, showed only two rentals available in the area – both in Zilzie.

“We the believe the proposed development provides a much-needed addition to the short-term accommodation market in the township,” the application notes.

“This proposal encourages growth.”

Renders by CotteeParker of what the proposed development will look like from Granville and Pattison Streets.

The application also references a recent article by this publication, dubbing Yeppoon as the new Byron Bay, as out of towners flock to the area and drive more lifestyle offerings.

“The Capricorn Coast could be likened to the northern NSW coast, Emu Park is to Yeppoon what Brunswick Heads or Ballina is to Byron Bay,” it read.

The development is yet to be approved.

Meanwhile in Yeppoon, sales have just opened up for the Mint Apartments, a seven-storey, 45 apartment luxury development to be built on the Yeppoon Foreshore.

The $30 million development features food and drink outlets, retail shops on the ground level, two levels of car parking and top-level penthouses with a rooftop pool and a tennis court.

The current Lure Living building and the space where the Jet James Gallery was formerly located will be demolished to make way for the development.

EMU PARK APARTMENTS

On the corner of Archer and Pattison Streets, along Granville Street, in Emu Park CBD

30 x two-bedroom, two-bathroom units

15 x three-bedroom, two-bathroom units

1 x four-bedroom, three-bathroom, study and multipurpose room unit

1 x three-bedroom, three-bathroom and multipurpose room unit

2 x four-bedroom, three bathroom and multipurpose room units

Two commercial tenancies

Shop: 881 sqm

Total building footprint: 2,166 sqm

Originally published as Rob Carr’s latest project Emu Park Apartments to provide new housing options for growing demand at Capricorn Coast