Daniel Grollo, Orchard Piper approved to develop Stonnington sites
The City of Stonnington last night approved two major developments.
On the ex-Ojay site at 671 Chapel Street, South Yarra, Daniel Grollo’s Build to Rent platform Home is planning a 22 storey mixed use tower – a small portion of which (352 square metres) is for education and community space to be developed in collaboration with the neighbouring Melbourne High School.
The majority of the building will contain apartments – 160 of them, over 19 floors.
A three level podium will fit 1260 sqm of office space, 270 sqm of retail and occupant-only amenity, specifically, a pool, gym, lounge and dining room.
A garden, to be penned by Jack Merlo, and a maternal and child health centre also forms part of the Bates Smart designed project.
There will be 197 car parks in five basement levels too.
Home is backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.
Grollo recruits handy ally
Mr Grollo picked up the 2117 sqm Mixed Use and Activity Centre zoned Chapel St site making way for the project, last December.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal had previously rejected a similar height proposal in 2019, and a 32 storey one before that for, amongst other reasons, any tower’s proximity to Melbourne High.
Mr Grollo’s application, lodged in May, is made jointly with the school.
The value of the room the college will inherit is put at $3.4m.
Council is assuming the project will deliver a wider community benefit worth half that.
Home will also contribute $500,000 to Chapel St beautification.
The land is at the eastern edge of the suburb’s Forrest Hill precinct, which has in the past 20 years seen industrial properties replaced with high density housing (story continues below).
National Basketball League co-owner Larry Kestelman is responsible for the precinct’s tallest tower, rising 50 levels at the north west corner of Chapel St and Toorak Road – the old Fun Factory site.
Emmetts’ Andrew Milligan and Charles Emmett sold 671 Chapel St which contains 3000 sqm of office and showroom space. The agency is also presently marketing it for short term lease, with areas from 250 sqm.
Green light for Orchard Piper
Also last night, Orchard Piper won permission to develop one of its two Toorak blocks.
Incorporating 109 Mathoura Rd and 420-426 Toorak – all up a1415 sqm site, zoned Commercial 1 and Activity Centre – the group is planning a six storey building with 10 apartments
There will be commercial components too – 1277 sqm of offices, 497 sqm of retail, including a pharmacy tenancy, and a 200 sqm medical centre.
A three level basement will also contain end-of-trip facilities and 65 car parks.
The approval comes three weeks since MaxCap provided a $120m first mortgage, to allow construction.
Seven months ago, Orchard Piper outlaid $67m for the outgoing Mercedes Toorak dealership, with frontage to Carters Avenue and Ross St, also with plans for a residential based mixed use project.
V-Leader changes plan
Meanwhile, Andy Zhang’s V-Leader last week applied to remove the residential component of a permit which came with the Claremont Hotel, at 189 Toorak Rd, South Yarra, which it bought for $22m last August.
If approved, the 12 level shell will contain 3000 sqm metres of office – covering the top storeys – and 3000 sqm of retail on the lower three floors, incorporating a c1886 Italianate structure.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill penned the extension. The site spreads 906 sqm.
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