‘Elegant’ Boutique Sheds Pitched for Bulimba

It’s an unusual marriage of elegance and sheds that is setting Frank Developments’ expansion into the industrial sector apart from its peers. 

After the strong market acceptance of his first boutique shed development, Gould Lane at Herston, Frank Developments managing director Frank Licastro has lodged plans for a second offering—this time across the river at Bulimba. 

Licastro said the Culprit-designed project would “revolutionise the urban industrial landscape” with 15 warehouses which he said would boost the vibrancy of the Bulimba area. 

“Karthina Lane embodies Frank Developments’ commitment to cultivating vibrant workspaces, whilst preserving the productivity of inner-city industrial land,” Licastro said. 

“It creates a harmonious balance between functionality and aesthetics by blending stunning architectural design with a deep respect for the surrounding community.”

Key to this congruous design is a 3m landscaped buffer to neighbouring properties. 

Licastro said the project would embrace a boutique tenancy approach and reject the traditional warehouse, incorporating a high-end material palette and integrating landscaping in the upper-level facade. 

▲ Gould Lane was the first foray into the industrial segment for Frank Developments.

The project follows the success of Frank Developments’ first foray into boutique warehouse spaces. Licastro said Gould Lane was on track for completion next month.

The project was 98 per cent pre-sold ahead of construction completion. 

Late last year the Brisbane City Council released its long-awaited Our Productive City strategy aimed at guiding the evolution of industrial and manufacturing land uses in the city. 

It identified more than 260ha of industrial land across the city that could be adapted for flexible high-value, low-impact industrial precincts.

The urban enterprise areas were located at Albion, Newstead, Bowen Hills, East Brisbane, Woollongabba and Milton and would be the focus of co-location of industry, commercial and residential land uses.

While Bulimba was not included in this strategy, the suburb is going through an urbanisation process exemplified by Shayher Group’s Bulimba Barracks urban regeneration project. 

The plans include five-storey apartment blocks and three-storey townhouse complexes in addition to three-storey detached homes on the former naval base.

The target yield for the site is 855 homes, to be made up of two-thirds apartments, 28 per cent will be townhouses, and just 6 per cent will be detached two-storey homes.