An elusive property investor is seeking approval to build a four-storey health care centre in Kingston to meet "high demand" for medical facilities.
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Jae Hee Choi, through his company CF Prime Pty Ltd, has lodged a development application with the ACT planning authority for the $13.8 million project.
The proposal includes the demolition of a two-storey childcare centre at 19 Giles Street, Kingston.
Mr Choi, whose previous property buys have set Canberra records, purchased the childcare centre in August 2023 for $3.97 million CoreLogic records show.
The developer has proposed to build a four-storey building with a glazed facade, above a two-storey basement car park. New driveway access, landscaping and a rooftop terrace are also in the plans.
A lease variation has been proposed to allow for health facility, financial establishment, office and public agency uses.
Mr Choi declined an interview with The Canberra Times, instead directing questions to Purdon Planning CEO Dan Stewart.
Mr Stewart said the developer wanted to explore a different use for the site after the childcare tenant vacated the "rundown" building.
"The goal of the developer was really to reactivate the redundant site," he said.
"I think we all understand that medical and health facilities are in short supply across all of Canberra and the view of the developer and the design team was that this would be an ideal location."
The latest high-profile property buy
The developer has purchased a number of prominent Canberra properties in the past decade or so, but has generally stayed tight-lipped on the transactions.
In 2010, Mr Choi set a Canberra house price record when he paid $7.3 million for a home on Mugga Way, where he currently resides.
The record was uncontested until 10 years later when another Mugga Way home sold for $8 million.
Mr Choi purchased Westridge House in Yarralumla, formerly a CSIRO research facility, in 2018 for $6.05 million.
Following the sale, Mr Choi agreed to an interview with The Canberra Times on the condition he would only be photographed from behind.
In the interview he said he had a "typical investor mindset" where he buys "looking for capital in future gain".
The article stated the Choi family moved from Korea to Sydney, where Mr Choi worked in the IT industry, in 1986.
It has also been reported the Choi family started the former Canberra restaurant franchise Sizzle Bento.
'Island site' to reduce potential impact
The application, prepared by Purdon Planning, noted there were currently four medical centres in the Kingston area but there was "high demand" for the development type.
"The health facility and office development are proposed to address a strong underlying demand for office space and health care in the Kingston region," the application stated.
A mix of businesses are envisaged for the development, Mr Stewart said.
A GP clinic or specialist rooms could take up the medical areas, while the office spaces would appeal to small and medium businesses, he said.
"That could be small legal firms, accountants, consultants - a whole host of potential uses in that space," Mr Stewart said.
The development site is unique in that it sits alone and is surrounded by roads.
Mr Stewart said the "island site" meant the development would have less of an impact on surrounding buildings, which included residential properties.
The planning application states a five-storey building was initially planned, however it would have overshadowed some of the nearby homes.
"The four-storey building is very much in line with the character and the existing scale of the neighbourhood," Mr Stewart said.
Public comments on the development application close on May 13.