12-storey Boomer apartment tower community to transform gateway
LOS ANGELES: A multistorey Baby Boomer apartment community development at the northern gateway to the city is expected to start later this year after the state government approved the project.
The 12-storey Ginn + Mercer project will create 81 residential apartments, ground floor retail and three basement levels at 5-11 Mercer St.
Melbourne-based Anu Corp Developments is behind the project, designed by Geelong-raised architect John Wardle.
The building will surround several commercial buildings, including the heritage-listed former Brown Bros iron store, and is behind homes facing Western Beach.
The development is anticipated to start in the third quarter of 2026, a positive sign for the state government given the acutely slow pace of private development approvals in the CBD turning into active projects.
Town planner Urbis and architect Wardle joined the project after an earlier proposal was withdrawn.
The permit allows a building that’s double the preferred height for the address under the Central Geelong Framework Plan.
Geelong’s council objected to the plan, but Urbis was involved in extensive engagement with the Department of Transport and Planning to respond to urban design feedback and to demonstrate project feasibility requirements of the larger development scheme.
Urbis Geelong director Anson said it’s another significant development approval by the Victorian government that demonstrates a commitment to central Geelong’s revitalisation as a residential postcode.
“Like Balmoral Quay and Stella Maris before it, this project demonstrates that Geelong’s waterfront provides incredible amenity that inspires architectural design excellence, setting an amazing benchmark for central Geelong’s future development,” Mr Anson said.
“This project begins the transformation of the Mercer St gateway to the city and adds a spectacular silhouette to central Geelong’s skyline.”
The mix of apartments includes seven one-, 44 two-, 27 three- and three four-bedroom residences.
Basement carparking includes 136 car spaces, seven for motorcycles and 106 for bicycles, but the permit acknowledges a reduction in carparking requirements.
The building will provide 366sq m of communal space, including areas for a potential gymnasium, dining room, seating room and rooftop garden.
Powerlines will be moved underground at a cost of $500,000, while the developer will make a financial contribution worth 3 per cent of the total development cost to Victoria’s Social Housing Growth Fund, estimated to be more than $1.7m.
Anu Corp Developments director Srini Bandla said the firm was excited to move ahead with the landmark project.
“This project is all about raising the bar in Geelong,” Mr Bandla said.
“We have taken what we believe is one of the best locations possible, where panoramic seaviews will enhance the lives of so many residents, and created architecture that only an extremely talented creative visionary could imagine.”
John Wardle, who attended Geelong College in the 1970s, said the project draws on the city’s industrial and Victorian heritage, with a distinctly contemporary architectural design to fit in the waterfront.
“As someone with strong ties to the region I placed great emphasis on the character and fit of this project on Geelong’s waterfront,” Mr Wardle said.
“In doing so, our practice has endeavoured to contribute to the further enhancement of Geelong’s future as a UNESCO City of Design.”
