Seniors Housing & Healthcare Trends

LOS ANGELES: A $5 million plan to build a block of 10 boomer townhouses has won the praise of State planners for its stylish design and for bringing more housing diversity to the high-end suburb.

The Metro-Inner North Joint Development Assessment Panel on Friday unanimously approved plans from Big Sky Developments in a meeting lasting less than 10 minutes.

The three-storey grouped homes will be built across more than 1600sqm at 3 and 5 Bruce Street, about 250m away from Stirling Highway.

They will range from three to four bedrooms, be joined by a communal central driveway and feature at least two outdoor areas and rooftop terraces.

The proposal will require the demolition of two character homes owned by separate families on each lot, with five townhouses to be built on each block.

Nine submissions were received during a public comment period earlier this year. Five objected to the plans with concerns over the building’s height, its impact on their privacy and overshadowing.

However, during the meeting on Friday a City of Nedlands officer said the concerns over visual privacy had been resolved through negotiations between the developers and neighbours through the addition of privacy screens and obscured glass on some sides of the building.

Another condition of approval was for the street trees on the front verge to be protected and retained.

Panel specialist member John Syme said he believed the development was “really nicely done” and would fit well with its surroundings.

“It’s the sort of accommodation … which I think we need a lot more of. It’s not apartments, it’s the townhouses that I think we need a lot more of,” he said.

Deputy presiding member Brian Curtis said he thought the design was “really interesting” and would be a “very useful addition” to housing diversity in the area.

Acting presiding member Lee O’Donohue said it was a very “nicely thought out and designed development” and was pleased the applicant was able to come to a resolution with neighbours.

“All in all, I think it is a very nice development, I think it is appropriate and it fits with the planning framework very well,” she said.

In the plans submitted to the City of Nedlands, Big Sky argued the development would add diversity to the new housing market, with most upcoming projects being apartments.

“Townhouses provide an alternate lifestyle to apartments,” they said.

“Each dwelling is provided with open-plan living, large amount of windows for natural light to help create the sense of space and at least two large outdoor entertaining areas along with a rooftop terrace.”

Big Sky Developments has been given four years to make a significant start to the project.