Orange City Council is calling for ‘Expressions of Interest’ to develop a new multi-level car park on the corner of Lords Place and Kite Street.
The project is aimed at creating a new building which would double the current amount of parking in the Ophir Car Park and could also include a new commercial or residential development.
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said he’s looking forward to seeing the results of the EIO.
MULTI-LEVEL: The Ophir Car Park could become the site of a new multi-level car park.
“There’s a lot of community interest in this project to make more of this site,” Cr Hamling said. “To keep making our CBD more pedestrian friendly, we need to find more parking within a short walking distance to key hospitality and shopping areas of town.”
“The Ophir Car Park is virtually a clean slate for a developer and has the zoning and height limits to make it an attractive proposition.”
Possible developments for the site, that would need Council planning approval, could include commercial premises, retail or office space, a mixed-use centre with entertainment facility, or serviced apartment accommodation.
Currently there are 215 parking spaces on the Ophir site. Proposals from developers should provide enough parking to cater for the new commercial or residential developments, as well as doubling the amount of existing parking available to the public (from 215 to 430).
The EOI also asks developers to outline how they would manage the loss of parking during the construction period.
Orange City Council have engaged JPAbusiness Pty Ltd (JPAbusiness, Licence No. 1710192) to manage the Expressions of Interest (EOI) process on their behalf.
JPAbusiness Managing Director, James Price, said since a preliminary registration process which began last year, there’s been strong interest in the project.
“It’s a site that offers a lot of potential for an investor and there’s been significant interest,” Mr Price said. “As well as positive indications from developers, it’s been good to hear from high profile retailers who want to be on the list of potential tenants if the final design does include new retails spaces. It’s another vote of confidence in the project.”
The formal EOI process has now begun. It closes on 17 April 2023.
