Developer backs Nambour’s ‘good bones’ with 162-unit project

WHEN architect and developer Rod Constantinides moved to Nambour almost a decade ago, he saw a town with what he calls “good bones” – but one thing was missing.

People living in the CBD.

Now, after about five years negotiating the planning and design challenges of a difficult inner-city site, demolition has begun for his 162-unit development on the prominent corner of Currie and Bury streets, opposite the Nambour Library.

Mr Constantinides told Nambour Chamber of Commerce October 1 Coffee Catchup at Casa Ceramica that his belief in the town dated back to when he returned to the Sunshine Coast after finishing architecture studies on the Gold Coast in 2017.

“When I got here, I thought ‘this town’s got good bones’ from everything I was learning about in architecture, like the street scapes, footpaths and how it was designed back in the day, compared to Maroochy CBD, for instance, or places like that,” he said.

“And I thought this town has good foundations to be able to build a good city from. I thought it just needs apartments in the town.”

Five years later, the former Small Change Espresso site became available and Mr Constantinides, of ARM Property Investment Group, began the long process of turning that idea into reality.

The development, known as Thalia, will comprise 162 one-bedroom apartments across two connected buildings, with ground-floor commercial space, a co-working area and a residents’ bath house featuring saunas, steam room and hot tubs.

But the project that is now being built is different from the one originally envisaged.

Mr Constantinides initially intended to sell the apartments, but said the absence of an established apartment sales market in Nambour, combined with parking and flooding constraints, made that model unworkable.

“And the other main challenge I suppose has been that apartment sales don’t exist in Nambour. You can’t sell the ocean views, so what would you sell an apartment for?” he said.

“So we ended up having to change the model to a build-to-rent model, where we provide housing and rent it out, because that was the only way we could make it work.”

The one-bedroom apartments are designed for people who want an affordable smaller home without the compromises of a traditional share house.

Each will have its own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and balcony, while residents will share larger communal facilities including the co-working space.

Mr Constantinides said likely residents could range from young people leaving home to older residents wanting a smaller property, as well as workers who spend periods of time in Nambour.

He said his own experience of sharing a house with his brother and a friend helped shape the concept.

“You’ve got your own bathroom, you’ve got your own kitchen, you’ve got your own balcony, you’ve got your own bedroom,” he said. “So it’s essentially like your own private share house, but it’s a multi-residential building.”

The two buildings have been separated by a landscaped central void, with apartments given a north-south orientation to improve cross-ventilation. Mr Constantinides hopes the semi-open centre will become a “tropical oasis” while helping cool the building during Nambour summers.

At street level, about 340sqm of commercial space is planned across two or three tenancies, with an outdoor courtyard wrapping the Currie and Bury streets corner.

Mr Constantinides said the development had involved unusual design challenges, including accommodating overland floodwater through the site.

Construction is hoped to take about 18 months, subject to arrangements with council, Transport and Main Roads, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and contractors.

For Mr Constantinides, however, the bigger ambition is what another 162 residents could mean for the centre of Nambour.

“It’s going to be good for the Nambour CBD community too,” he said. “We need people in town, mixed together. That’s how you form a good community.”

Developer Rod Constantinides, has worked hard to get his plans through Council. He says Nambour needs apartments in town.