King Cat behind bid for apartment tower

Kim Waters
Cats president Frank Costa is behind plans to build Geelong’s tallest building.
Mr Costa’s development company, Quay Development Corporation, has lodged a permit application to build the 15-storey skyscraper at 65 Mercer Street.
Water Marque is almost double the height of eight-storey Geelong’s landmark Mercure Hotel.
The permit application said the $65 million building would have 80 serviced and 77 residential apartments.
Other features included office space, a lap pool, a gym, “food and drink tenancies” and four levels for car parking, including three in a basement.
Geelong leaders have welcomed the project.
Committee for Geelong executive director Peter Dorling said the skyscraper would be an “architectural solution” for the city’s Western Wedge precinct.
“The building will be higher than anything else but that’s not the most important thing – we have to look at its architectural merits,” Mr Dorling said.
He hoped Water Marque would feature “exceptional architecture” to inspire other developments in the area.
“The city has spent a lot of time working on the Western Wedge. It’s a great area and hopefully this will create more development,” Mr Dorling said.
Geelong Chamber of Com-merce executive director Lawrie Miller said the height of Water Marque was appropriate for the Western Wedge because authorities had earmarked the precinct for tall buildings.
Mr Miller said residents worried about the building’s impact on Geelong’s low-level skyline should consider areas like Wollongong, in New South Wales.
“There are high rise buildings there and they don’t look out of place,” he said.
Councillor Rod Macdonald, who holds council’s planning portfolio, said new infrastructure like Water Marque was essential to prevent urban sprawl.
“There’s a concern that, in Australia particularly, there has been a wide spread of suburbia and that isn’t sustainable,” he said.
Mr Costa had not returned the Independent’s call for comment before the paper went to press yesterday.
Quay Development Corporation managing director Michael Vickers-Willis refused to comment.