Community housing provider Housing Choices SA is applying to construct 152 rental homes and two ground-floor shops across a nine, seven and five-storey building at 217-218 Greenhill Road, Eastwood.

The new 152-home development planned for Greenhill Road in Eastwood. Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

The site of the planned development, next to the Air Apartments. Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

The vacant 5080 square-metre site is next door to the 12-storey Air Apartments building on the corner of Greenhill and Fullarton Road and faces the southern park lands.

The plan, which will be assessed by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP), features 84 one-bedroom, 64 two-bedroom and 4 three-bedroom apartments.

The development is a build-to-rent project whereby Housing Choices SA, a not-for-profit, will own all 152 apartments and rent out 122 at affordable rates, according to development plans publicly notified this week.

The remaining 30 dwellings will be rented out at market rates.

A view of the development from the south on Trust Lane. Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

The project, known as Wirra Mikangka (meaning “in front of forest or scrub”), has financial support from the federal government’s $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator program.

The Eastwood site used to hold a 29-unit, three-storey Housing Trust complex, which was demolished in 2023.

The new plans feature a nine-storey, 29.45-metre-tall tower facing Greenhill Road.

This slopes down to a seven- and five-storey building on the southern portion of the vacant land parcel, facing Trust Lane.

The north and south towers would be separated by a 972 square metre resident courtyard.

Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

The courtyard in the proposed development. Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

The developers said each dwelling will feature a minimum of 50 square metres of floor area and 8.1 square metres of private open space on balconies.

The 84 one-bedroom apartments range from 50.6 and 54.7 square metres in floor space, while the two-bedroom units range from 64.9 to 72.9 square metres.

Eighty-five off-street car parks are also proposed as part of the development.

The state government has previously indicated that the Eastwood development will be targeted at housing essential workers, including doctors, teachers and nurses, with rents to be offered at 75 per cent of the market rate.

Development consultants Masterplan said the project would “play a significant role in meeting an urgent housing need for affordable rental housing”.

The floorplan for some of the one-bedroom apartments in the Eastwood development. Image: Hill Thalis and JPE Design Studio via PlanSA

“The majority of dwellings are to be one- and two-bedroom, reflecting the living situations of those who predominantly require access to affordable housing,” Masterplan said.

“Eight (8) dwellings are to be DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant and accessible, representing 5.0 per cent of the total development.”

The plans are out for public consultation until August 23.

Build-to-rent housing is more common in Europe and the United States but is beginning to make headway in South Australia.

In March, the state’s first build-to-rent project – a 240-apartment, 13-storey complex in Bowden – received planning approval. US real estate giant Sentinel is delivering the development.

Build-to-rent is also set to feature as part of the state government-led redevelopment of the former Franklin Street bus station.

A 50 per cent land tax discount for eligible build-to-rent projects was also announced in June as part of the state government’s Housing Roadmap.

Housing Choices SA is also not the only organisation to apply for a build-to-rent development on Greenhill Road.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) SA branch lodged plans last year to redevelop its headquarters at 163A-164 Greenhill Road into twin 9- and 11-storey towers holding 232 build-to-rent apartments.

The apartment towers, around 1km west of the Eastwood development, would have prioritised teachers’ union members and key workers.

The SCAP rejected the AEU’s plans in September 2023, but the project remains subject to a court appeal and a possible second planning application from the AEU.