Cool in the city

No Australian capital city has reinvented its identity over the last decade or so quite like Brisbane. It might still affectionately be known as BrisVegas to tourists, but these days much of Brisbane’s inner city has a lot more in common with the luxe laid-back lifestyle of Palm Springs than it does the crass commercialism of Las Vegas. Take a stroll around the fashionable James Street precinct and you’ll see why. From the distinctly mid-century lines and swanky style of Fortitude Valley’s Calile Hotel to the shops sporting Australian and international boutique brands to the bars and restaurants dotted all the way down to New Farm, this is where Brisbane’s best-dressed come to be seen, out on the scene.

Tucked away at the corner of Chester Street and Morse Street in Newstead, about a block away from the buzzy comings and goings at The Calile, sits the site of a new development by Frasers Property Australia. Although small in size—the formerly semi-industrial property is just 3016 square metres—Frasers Property Development Director Jason Flanders is thinking big when it comes to the site’s transformation, which will include a Rothelowman-designed apartment building as well as 10 luxury townhouses, connected by a subtropical laneway and a public plaza overhung with greenery. In keeping with the upmarket cachet of the surrounding precinct, the Chester Street address will offer some of the best lifestyle amenities to be found in modern inner-city living, with the proposed plans including lusciously landscaped rooftop gardens and pool, wellness centre including gymnasium for the exclusive use of residents, street-level café and restaurant, and a greening of the private and public spaces into a richly fertile oasis. “There are three really significant themes we’re bringing together for this development,” says Jason. “The first is ensuring the architectural form is pure and true to this subtropical outcome we’re creating. So soft colour palettes, honest materials, and a sense of ‘breathability’ that’s very Queensland in style.

“The second is generosity in the way the site will contribute to the civic amenity and public realm of this precinct. We want this to be a place that people will be drawn into as a sort of calming respite from the heat and activity outside.” And lastly, we want the homes we’ll be offering here to rethink the way private thresholds like balconies and terraces work as extensions of your living spaces. We’re focusing on elements of adaptability in the built form as well as bringing the outside in.”

Best of both worlds

Perhaps the other big theme of the project is simply that it offers something that’s still somewhat rare: the chance to live footsteps from James Street, immersed in the culture and buzz of one of Brisbane’s most exciting entertainment precincts. Says Bella Macfarlane, the project’s Development Manager, this is no ordinary opportunity and one of the key reasons that Frasers Property moved quickly to acquire the site. “The lifestyle potential really will be the key driver for this project. There’s almost never an opportunity to live this close to James Street and you can’t find all that much residential in this area. Couple that with the surrounding amenity as well as the amenity planned on-site and it’s almost like you could be living at The Calile with days by the pool and nights out eating at local favourites like Bianca or Hellenika. That’s going to be a huge selling point for people who love to feel plugged into the pulse of the city.”

Frasers Property Project Marketing Manager, Tyler Feder, says that the key to the success of a project like this one is its ability to offer discerning buyers the best of both worlds. Immersed within the ‘style hub’ of Brisbane, residents will have the opportunity to enjoy the precinct’s energy and buzz at any time. But at home, they’ll find sanctuary and serenity in built form that’s perfectly balanced with nature. “The exciting thing about the plans we have for this project is that it rejects this idea that to live in the heart of the city, you have to be part of the concrete jungle,” says Tyler. “Here, you can have this beautiful place to live that’s given over to greenspaces and deep landscaping, without having to be in the suburbs in a more traditional garden home. “What might surprise some people is that when we approach projects like this we spend as much time thinking about the landscape architecture as we do about the building architecture. And I think when we can share the final designs with the public, it’ll be clear how central the subtropical amenity will be to the identity of the address and the experience of living there. It’s going to be really special.”

Bountiful Brisbane

The new Frasers Property project is perfectly positioned within 1 kilometre of the four main entertainment precincts of Brisbane and in a part of Brisbane experiencing a significant renewal and regeneration from an industrial past. Jason sees that renewal as part of a larger story that’s taking place in Brisbane more generally. “I think Brisbane, compared to say Sydney or Melbourne, has been a bit of a sleeping giant,” says Jason. “Over the last decade especially, the city has quietly gone about remaking itself, especially in terms of culture and recreation. Along with the successful 2032 Olympic bid, and the fact that there are four international airports within an hour and a half making it one of the most accessible capital cities in the country, we’re ready for a more intense focus on what Brisbane has to offer.”

With Frasers Property looking to break ground on the Chester Street project in 2024, future residents will find themselves centre stage for all the action.

For more information on Chester Street visit http://www.newstead-living.com.au/.

For more information on other Frasers communities in Brisbane, call 13 38 38.