A “bold and daring” multi-storey hotel and apartment complex has been recommended for approval on the site of the half-built Club Edgewater project.
Star Weekly last month revealed a new application had been lodged for 31 Edgewater Boulevard in Maribyrnong for a 10-storey development containing a 68-room hotel, 123 dwellings, retail premises and a gymnasium.
The original $30 million Club Edgewater project, which was to include 70 gaming machines, 40 hotel rooms and 12 double-storey residential apartments, was abandoned when Western Bulldogs and developer Prizac fell out in 2015.
The proposal was not required to be advertised as it is “generally consistent” with the approved development plan for the overall Edgewater Estate.
A council officer’s report to Tuesday night’s City Development Special Committee states the “high architectural quality and net community benefits” of the new development are reasons to allow a higher built form on the site, but the proposed 10 storey height is excessive based on the surrounding context and view lines of the precinct.
“The high quality architectural response is applauded and the quality of material palette chosen will set the building apart from the area,” the report states.
“However, whilst the design response is a significant contributing factor to the success of the development, the proposed height of the building remains a matter in contention.”
The report also found the removal of the 70 approved gaming machines that would have operated at Club Edgewater is considered to achieve a net community benefit.
“However this benefit should not outweigh the need for a design response which recognises an appropriate transition in building height to the adjoining land uses.”
Residents Against Inappropriate Development in Maribyrnong has been pushing for a five-storey cap on the site.
Whilst the adjoining apartment buildings have height of up to nine storeys, the report notes that these sites are located further down the hill towards the Maribyrnong River “on a significantly lower plain” than the subject site.
The report recommends approval of the project, subject to a reduction in building height to eight storeys and other minor conditions.
Planning documentation states that the future manager of the building would be Adara Hotels, which operates complexes in Richmond and Collins Street.
Adara has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Maribyrnong councillors will vote on the proposal on Tuesday night.
