Developers have revealed new plans to build a $44 million high-rise hotel at the western edge of Wollongong's CBD.
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The 19-storey tower being proposed by Sydney-based Gear Up Properties would take the place of three blocks of land facing Belmore and Young Streets.
It would have 90 hotel rooms over six of the levels.
The name of any planned hotel operators is not mentioned in the development application lodged with Wollongong City Council, however the plans detail that rooms would be studio or one-bedroom accommodation.
The upper nine levels of the 60-metre building would have 46 residential apartments, as well as a communal rooftop area, according to plans submitted by TCG Planning.
There would also be three food and drink premises and a restaurant at street level, facing Young and Belmore Streets, and 163 car spaces in three levels of basement parking.
The main entrance would face Young Street, opposite the intersection with Market Street, where a forecourt and commercial tenancies will “improve the street’s civic quality”, according to the plans.
There is currently a house,previously used for commercial purposes, a vacant block used for car parking, and a business premises used by Verekers Lawyers on the site.
The planners also said the development would increase living density as the “edge of metro Wollongong’s commercial core”, and improve architectural quality “befitting that of a metropolitan cityscape”.
“The range of commercial and tourist accommodation uses provided on the site will provide employment opportunities and will strengthen the role of the city centre,” the application to Wollongong council said.
“The proposed residential apartments will provide increased housing choice in a highly accessible location within the Wollongong City Centre.”
The proposal is the second high-rise hotel plan lodged for the western CBD area in recent times.
However, the first – a Mantra hotel once planned for the former Charcoal Tavern site at the top of Regent Street – took years to be approved and was then deemed not viable by developers.
Last year the hotel plans were replaced with a proposal for a 22-storey residential and commercial tower with 151 apartments, which has now been approved and is under-construction.
The new hotel proposal, which has a construction budget of $43.7 million, will be assessed by the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel.