SP Development has put forward plans for a boutique build-to-rent development in an emerging development hotspot 5.7km south-east of Brisbane’s CBD.  The eight-storey, 20-apartment project designed by Betts+Partners described as an urban garden sanctuary has been pitched for a 638sq m site at 23-25 Stoneham Street at Stones Corner, one of Brisbane’s smallest suburbs.  The project is opposite De Martini Fletcher’s Corner House Residences and within the suburban renewal precinct.  The private developer bought up the site for $1.87 million two years ago, according to RP Data.  Betts+Partners director Duncan Betts brings a wealth of build-to-rent design experience to the project, honed on the recently opened Arklife Cordelia project . Betts acknowledged this was a much more boutique approach to build-to-rent, but he told The Urban Developer the aim was to ensure it was readily buildable and could be constructed by a Tier 3 construction company.  As construction costs keep soaring, this is becoming increasingly important in south-east Queensland. The design features strong biophilic principles with a focus on usable apartment balconies for “subtropical rental accommodation”. “[It demonstrates] how architecture can enhance both individual wellbeing and address broader urban renewal objectives within an emerging vibrant urban village,” the architectural design statement said.  “Central to the design philosophy is the conception of balconies as outdoor rooms, each sleeved with carefully composed brise soleil that frames views of the greater Brisbane context, while providing climatic protection.” ▲ Rooftop communal space and climate-protected balconies add to the boutique residential build-to-rent experience. The report also identified significant planting across the site with a green plot ratio that exceeded 25 per cent.  The development would comprise a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, crowned by a communal rooftop terrace.  In 2023 a group of landholders at Stones Corner collaborated to create a developer-led suburban renewal proposal that would catalyse the long overdue renewal of the once-thriving suburban village.  It was a strategy that was well received by the Brisbane City Council and is now being replicated by placemakers in other urban renewal precincts. 
