At last week’s council meeting, Councillors voted to initiate the first two development sites at 169 Macquarie Street and 160 Church Street.
Once completed, Parramatta Square, set across three-hectares of Council-owned space and real estate in the heart of the Parramatta CBD, will include generous public space, corporate centres, retail and dining options, new Council facilities, and strong connections to the Parramatta transport interchange. It is expected to provide accommodation for 13,000 workers.
Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Cr John Chedid said Council is making great progress in pushing forward the City’s vision for Parramatta Square.
“We have already lodged the development application (DA) for the Macquarie Street property, which we expect will be approved later in 2013,” Cr Chedid said.
“We have engaged CBRE as real estate agents to sell these two properties. An Expression of Interest campaign for 169 Macquarie Street will commence in March, following which we will be shortlisting potential buyers and entering into negotiations. A similar process will commence later in the year for 160 Church Street.
“While the DA for Macquarie Street has been submitted, we expect to have the DA lodged for 160 Church Street in the next few months. We believe by getting DA approvals before the sale of these properties will make these developments more attractive to the market as it de-risks the process,” Cr Chedid said.
Council is also talking to potential tenants for 169 Macquarie Street and has engaged Colliers as the leasing agent. It is intended Council will have a number of interested tenants identified for the building as part of the package for sale.
Cr Chedid said Parramatta Square illustrates the vision of where the community wants to take Parramatta into the future.
“Parramatta Square represents a desirable and lucrative place to invest and do business. It emphasises Parramatta’s role in meeting the business, cultural, entertainment and tourism needs of the fastest growing region in the country,” Cr Chedid said.
In July 2012, Council announced Architectus and Grimshaw as the winners of the Parramatta Square Design Excellence Competitions for 169 Macquarie Street and 160 Church Street respectively.
Architectus’ proposal for 169 Macquarie Street includes 25,000sqm of commercial office space and is expected to set new environmental and quality standards in Parramatta.
The design incorporates a dramatic atrium space, with large well lit flexible floor plates, Parramatta’s first green roof, and clever integration of the public domain.
Grimshaw’s winning design is for a mixed-use tower on 160 Church Street. Its twisting form blends structural efficiency with contemporary urban living and will be among the tallest residential buildings, not just in Parramatta, but in NSW.
The environmentally sustainable design incorporates landscaped sky gardens every six floors, shared by smaller communities. The top level will include a viewing platform within spectacular views over Sydney.
