Doma Group has lodged a development application to "rebirth" the dilapidated nine-storey Alexander and Albemarle buildings in Woden, almost a decade since the site was last used.
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In May, Doma announced it would renovate the former government buildings. The two buildings, connected by a low-level structure, have sat vacant for eight years, but instead of demolishing the towers, Doma Group said it planned to transform, preserve and repurpose them into "airy textural warehouse and loft-style apartments along with diverse non-residential uses".
The towers were built in the mid-1960s by the Commonwealth and were home to the Health Department. Doma Group bought the site in 2010, and in recent years it has sat fenced-off, heavily vandalised and boarded-up.
Doma wants to amalgamate seven blocks off Furzer Street and behind Abode Woden. It wants to demolish the annex building and some associated structures, repurpose the main buildings with a mixed-use ground floor and residential upper floors. The group also wants to create a public area.
It also wants to construct car parking structures to services the residential uses, development of integrated public domain spaces and associated landscaping, civil and ancillary works.
The development would be called A&A; Woden and is estimated to be $50-million project.
A total of 186 units are proposed, including 35 one-bedroom units, two one-bedroom lofts, 43 two-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom lofts, 10 three-bedroom lofts and one four-bedroom penthouse for each building.
An extra floor will be added to the buildings for the two-storey apartments at the top level. The development application says the buildings will be 12-storeys.
The Alexander Building will have 2350 square metres of retail and commercial spaces on the ground floor and there will be 115 car spaces. The car parking structures will have retail and commercial space adjoining Furzer Street and the pedestrian spine.
In the Albemarle building, it will also have ground floor retail and commercial across 1714 square metres and space with 119 parking spaces.
The application said the development would "contribute to the vibrancy of the nearby public spaces, particularly through activity and surveillance outside of normal business hours".
Submissions close on the development application on November 11.
