JD Property Unveils 160-Home Village for ‘Locals’ End’ of Byron Bay

The “locals’ end of town” at laid-back Byron Bay is to get a 160-home village thanks to the architectural team behind the Mondrian. JD Property’s development at 148-156 Jonson Street is a few doors down from its homebase and 300m from its existing Jonson Lane and Secret Garden developments. JD Property managing director Jason Dunn said that the project built on the developer’s ability to create new destinations from scratch. “What we wanted to do with this project was to create a village within a village,” Dunn said. It will help transform this end of Jonson Street, as the area moves away from its commercial and industrial past, he said. Creating a “village within a village” The shoptop proposal for 160 apartments and townhouses is now making its way through the State Significant development pathway after it was greenlit by the Housing Delivery Authority last year. The plans detail a full-line supermarket on the north-western portion of the site, with specialty retail tenancies along the north-eastern frontage to Browning and Jonson streets. JD Property’s site was subject to a 2022 approval for a supermarket, offices and a two-storey car park. ▲ Fraser &amp; Partners is designing JD Property’s latest project at Byron Bay. “We know from living here that Byron Bay needs another supermarket for everyday essentials, so we wanted to keep that and add something special in terms of the market offering in front,” Dunn said. “We’ll have the butcher, the baker, the delicatessen, all with beautiful products from the region and really highlighting the best that Byron has to offer.” The plans also include cafes and other dining options as the south Byron area begins to develop into a food and drink destination with operators such as Light Years already moving in. “These will be part of the public realm and we’re designing it so people can come together as a community.” Making the most of its bushland location The site, on the land of the Arakwal people, is surrounded on multiple sides by nature—the subtropical bushland that surrounds Byron as well as the planned Northern Rivers Rail Trail. “You can hear the birdsong there and it’s pretty special. We knew it would be incredible,” Dunn said. The site has had a long history that reflects the changing heart of Byron Bay. A timber mill was on the site, Dunn said, before it became the home of hydrofoil company Fliteboard as well as a mechanics, tyre shop and hardware store. ▲ The project, 148 Jonson Street, is JD Property’s largest development to date. JD Property has agreed to a road extension for Jonson Street with the Byron Shire Council, which will lead to the sharp edge of the wedge-shaped site where the development’s recreation facilities will sit. These include pools, saunas, spas, wellness treatment rooms and a gym, which will be open to the community, Dunn said. “Some places have these incredible facilities and they’re never used and they don’t really create community. We want to integrate wellness and daily life rather than just it being another gym and open it to the public.” As a Byron resident himself, Dunn wants locals to feel at home at 148 Jonson Street and is tailoring it to do just that. But apartments will also be able to be let out as holiday units, coinciding with JD Property’s launch of Sol Maison, its holiday accommodation management business. “It means we can stay on site to manage the assets because we want to really look after them—there’s no one else who’s going to put as much effort into maintaining and looking after the owner’s apartments as we are, because we built them and we care about the brand and the guest experience,” Dunn said. Lifting to the next level The project is JD Property’s largest mixed-use development to date, taking learnings from other projects such as the $100-million, 22-unit Secret Garden and 28-home, mixed-use Jonson Lane development. “[In those projects] we created a community and destination on the ground floor while creating incredible residential amenity upstairs,” Dunn said. “With 148 Jonson Street, we’ve increased the landscaping and taken that to the next level.” ▲ The project is slated for a site once home to a timber mill and later a commercial centre. JD Property pulled off something of a a coup when it landed Fraser &amp; Partners, best known for such projects as the Gold Coast’s five-star Mondrian hotel, for the Byron project following a design competition. “The design Callum [Fraser] and his team pitched to us was inspired by a building in Tulum, Mexico, where the extensive landscaping softens the built form,” Dunn said. “It breaks up the facade with plants and landscaping which makes the building soften into the streetscape, and we wanted to replicate that to create this vibrant, organic, textural design aesthetic.” A determination is expected next year on 148 Jonson Street, with hopes works can begin by the end of 2027. Learn more On our new podcast series The Deal, The Urban Developer founder and chief executive Adam Di Marco sits down with JD Property Group managing director Jason Dunn to discuss his journey from investment banking in Singapore to developing in his hometown of Byron Bay.

Apartments
Clare Burnett
Fri 25 Sep 26

JD Property Unveils 160-Home Village for ‘Locals’ End’ of Byron Bay

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