Developer Adds to Sydney’s Botany Road Pipeline

A developer is planning a mixed-use project on Sydney’s Botany Road after picking up the site for $16.75 million from Defence Housing Australia last year. 

Rigo, or Doublespace, led by Xilin Zahang and Sum Wai Shum, was planning a flat, four-storey building for the 2350sq m site at 171B Botany Road, Waterloo. 

The design by DKO architecture shows two ground-floor retail premises and 47 apartments in the plans submitted to the City of Sydney council, foran area with multiple three-storey developments.

Less than a kilometre up the road the density of developments increases with the likes of an Emerald City build-to-rent development, Theo Onisforou's new aged office space and Mirvac's Green Square developments.

The latest development application is to replace a single-storey warehouse between Green Square Train station and the coming Waterloo metro station.

▲ The Botany Road development also has frontage on Cope Street and will be split into separate built forms with a communal “oasis” in the middle.

The development would be predominantly one- and two-bedroom units, in response to the New South Wales Household and Dwelling Projections, 2008-2036 report.

“The Department of Planning indicates that the average household size in Sydney is expected to continue its decline from 2.61 in 2006 to 2.49 by 2036,” the application said.

“In addition, the population projections indicate that the lone person household is the type of household expected to experience the greatest percentage increase between 2006 and 2036—by 69 per cent. 

“The proposed provision of apartments is consistent with the expected increase in smaller households.

“For these reasons it is considered that the development responds positively to the housing needs of the local community.”

This compares to many developers opting for larger apartments since the pandemic however affordability is becoming a barrier for many buyers in Sydney.