Another 145 new townhouses slated for Coombs

More medium-density living is slated for the burgeoning suburb Coombs with plans to build an extra 145 townhouses across two developments.

One development application lodged with the ACT Planning and Land Authority outlines plans for 82 terrace townhouses at a total cost of more than $14 million.

The mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom dwellings will be wedged between Ingold, Madgwick, Bakeewell​ and Castan Streets.

The townhouses, designed by Oztal Architects, will be capped at two storeys and come with their own private courtyards, while residents will have access to a pocket of communal space in the centre of the site.

Attached and detached garages plus extra car parking space are also proposed.

If approved, construction of the 82 townhouses is due to begin in November and expected to take about one year to complete, according to developer Kieran Pierlot.​

Mr Pierlot said many prospective buyers interested in outer suburbs, such as Coombs, were looking for a townhouse.

One of the standout features of his latest project was the inclusion of double garages with roughly half of the dwellings, he said.

LJ Hooker franchise owner and managing director of project marketing Andrew Ligdopoulos agreed the proportion of double garages was among the development’s highlights.

“I think one of the things that had been lacking in previous developments was double lock-up car garages,” he said.

“A much larger proportion of [these] properties have combined three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two-car garages.”

Mr Ligdopoulos said three and four-bedroom terraces would be competitively priced, with much of the demand for townhouses coming from young Canberrans wanting to get a foot on the property ladder.

“Demand for townhouse living is coming from a broad selection of people but first home buyers are still driving a lot of that market,” he said.

“We’re also starting to see, certainly in the last six months, avid investors back in the marketplace. Yields are quite good, vacancies are pretty tight at the moment and obviously interest rates are at all time lows.”

Mr Ligdopoulos said downsizers also made up a strong portion of the townhouse market, with many of the proposed terraces slated for Coombs designed with this demographic in mind.

He said Coombs had attracted people from all over Canberra, from Gungahlin to Tuggeranong, due to its centrality.

Opus. Photo: DNA Architects

A second development application outlining plans for 63 townhouses has also been lodged with the ACT government.

The almost $13-million Opus project, which is being developed by 3 Property Group and has been designed by DNA Architects, will house a mix of two, three and four-bedroom townhouses.

Private garden courtyards, luxury fittings and lock-up garages are among the development’s features.

Project Property Group selling agent Alex Eimerl said gas cooking, microwaves and reverse-cycle air-conditioning would also be included.

The latest townhouse developments are among a number of residential projects earmarked for Coombs, with plans for another 50 townhouses and a separate project involving 25 terraces and a 96-unit apartment complex lodged earlier this year.

The suburb’s group centre is also progressing with plans for a childcare centre, medical centre and community hall among its facilities, alongside a shopping centre and school.

More residential land will become available in Coombs throughout the 2016-2017 year with 230 sites due to be released as part of the ACT government’s land release schedule.