The Corrimal Coke Works developers will spend $21 million on community infrastructure and other items under a planning agreement going before Wollongong City Council on Monday night.
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That could include an off-leash dog park, which has strong support from residents who fought earlier plans to remove it.
The planning agreement is a voluntary arrangement between council and the developers that has been several years in the making.
"Negotiations have been ongoing since August 2019 to deliver an affordable housing outcome and other aspects of the adopted Master Plan 2021 for the site," council papers stated.
According to the draft planning agreement, the developers will create infrastructure to the value of $21.4 million.
The big-ticket item is the dedication of a riparian corridor that will run along the western edge of the side - that comes with a $13 million price tag.
Also in the plan is $537,000 for the construction of a shared pathway along Railway Street, $1.4 million for a roundabout at the main entrance to the proposed residential estate and $3.1 million to provide public access to the nearby Corrimal railway station.
The agreement would also preclude the addition of any further developer contributions being levied over the site.
The proposed planning agreement has been out on public exhibition and drew 214 submissions, including a petition with 403 signatures calling for the inclusion of an off-leash dog park.
The agreement does not specify the creation of a dog park but an earlier development control plan called for flexibility to add one.
"The southern recreation park has an area in the north-east corner that can accommodate an off-leash area," council papers stated.
"This will be considered in more detail through the future development assessment process."
Among the other submissions, the Illawarra Bike Users Group requested the development is integrated into the current and planned cycling network as well as work on the Railway Street shared pathway.
The Corrimal Community Action Group was unhappy with the agreement, claiming "it fails to make any genuine attempt to deal with the traffic issues that will result from this development".
It also objected to the absence of any museum to preserve the history of coke-making in the Illawarra.
A number of residents raised the issue of affordable housing and whether there was enough within the proposed development.
"The planning agreement requires the developer to facilitate the sale of land to a community housing provider to allow delivery of 35 affordable rental housing dwellings as endorsed by council," council papers stated.
At Monday night's meeting councillors will vote on whether to delegate authority to council's general manager to finalise the agreement.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
