A drawing of the proposed building, seen from Kent Street. Images: Canberra Town planning.
The owner of the Equinox offices in Deakin is planning to extend the precinct with a new building on the former Canberra West Bowling Club site on Kent Street, currently a Wilson car park.
Initial plans released for community consultation ahead of a development application are for a four-storey building with basement parking for 232 vehicles.
The 15,574 square metre site, Block 28 Section 35, is located at 50 Kent Street.
Evri Group says the building will be the first in a new office precinct north of the existing four-building Equinox, with the plans showing a further three potential buildings.
The proposed 9040 square metre Building 5 development at Equinox 2 includes offices, medical suites, food and beverage outlets, co-working offices, and retail.
The building will have two sections, a three to four-storey wing parallel to Kent Street creating a gateway into the precinct, with the main four-storey building behind.
Evri says the front section will step up from Kent Street, and be highly screened on its east, north and south facades, while the primary building will have glazed facades.
The building will be set back a significant distance from Kent Street, and have an internal one-way access street at the front providing short-term parking to the Kent Street tenancies.
It is envisaged that outside casual areas associated with the office building, cafes and restaurants will provide a range of working and meeting environments, while open stairs within an atrium will encourage walking to upper levels instead of taking elevators.
The proposal will prompt concerns about the amount of traffic it will generate, with congestion on Kent Street, and in Deakin generally, already an issue for residents.
There is also parking overflow into the suburb’s side streets from people trying to avoid paid parking.
The Deakin Residents Association have for years been calling for a Master Plan to be developed for the area to cope with the growing number of development proposals.
It believes a Master Plan should integrate light rail Stage 2, and is concerned that development is going ahead without any reference to it.
Canberra Town Planning is organising community information sessions for the Equinox 2 proposal.
A virtual presentation and Q&A will be held on Tuesday, 27 October from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm. To register and receive a link send your name, surname and email to Canberra Town Planning.
A physical drop-in session will be held on Wednesday, 28 October between 5.30 pm and 7:00 pm at Level 3, Equinox 1, 70 Kent Street, Deakin.
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