Green light for towers beside Crown Casino car park
Les Smith has won approval to develop two apartment towers – of 52 and 25 storeys – on a collection of low-rise offices and warehouses acquired from Crown Casino in 2023.
The smallest building is due for completion first, in 2028 – 38 Clarke Street, with 188 units, pool and gym with cold plunge and sauna, carries an end value of c$187m.
Mr Smith’s LAS Group paid a speculated $11m for the site also bound by City Road and Haig Lane.
The taller tower, to be known as 101 Clarendon St, with 509 dwellings (artist’s impression, top), is due for completion in 2029.
Also with co-working spaces, the end value is put at c$511m.
Mr Smith paid $15.3m for this block (93-103 Clarendon St), diagonally adjacent to the Clarke St parcel.
As part of the land purchases, and to secure city view lines for the proposed towers, LAS also secured air rights over the multi-level Crown Casino car park, abutting both sites, outlaying a speculated c$3m.
Fender Katsalidis penned the two LAS buildings (continues below).
Two more Southbank towers
The permit comes eight months since we reported PDG Corporation acquired a 5059 sqm parcel abutting Crown Casino – including the historic Queensbridge Hotel, with plans for a 67 level apartment tower – a project with an expected c$1.5 billion end value.
MONNO is also sitting on 28 Clarendon St – the Robur Tea House building – opposite the casino’s west entrance. A mix of apartments, hotel and retail was approved there in last year.
Mr Smith has in recent years completed the Guild Apartments, beside the Burnley tunnel, again in Southbank, St Kilda Road’s The Fawkner tower, a Hawthorn office and townhouses on a Richmond site beside the Yarra River.
He also holds a significant supermarket portfolio.
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