Stockland breaks ground on first vertical retirement village at Oceanside

Stockland will today mark another important milestone in the creation of new, high lifestyle, low maintenance living on the coast as it celebrates the start of construction on its first greenfield, vertical retirement village.

The new $63 million Oceanside Retirement Village will be built within the $5 billion Oceanside master-planned community on the Sunshine Coast.

The commencement of work represents another major milestone for Oceanside, which is fast becoming the premier centre of health and medical excellence in the Sunshine Coast region.

Jarrod Bleijie MP, State Member for Kawana, and Councillor Tim Dwyer, Deputy Mayor of Sunshine Coast Council attended the event alongside Stockland Group Executive and CEO of Retirement Living, Stephen Bull and Stockland Regional Manager for the Sunshine Coast, Ben Simpson, to celebrate the milestone and turn the first sod.

Stephen Bull said: “We are very excited to start construction on Stockland’s first greenfield vertical village. Oceanside Retirement Village will offer residents all of the benefits of Sunshine Coast living with easy access to restaurants, café’s, the beach, lake front walking paths and everything the nearby retail and business centres of Mooloolaba and Maroochydore have to offer.”

“By 2056 a quarter of our population will be over the age of 65. Vertical villages like this, create options for older Australians to downsize and move into connected communities with centralised health and lifestyle services.

“Today’s retirees expect to live in beautiful places, demand a high level of services, and enjoy a great lifestyle. Oceanside will offer all of this and more, encouraging happier, healthier residents with world class health and wellbeing services right on their doorstep,” said Stephen Bull.

The new Oceanside vertical village will include 140 one, two and three bedroom low-maintenance apartments, all with dedicated car parking spaces. The eight-storey development will also offer residents views to the sea, Lake Kawana or across to the Glasshouse Mountains hinterland.

All residents will enjoy access to an integrated 660 square metre clubhouse, gymnasium, wellness centre, outdoor pool, complete with covered outdoor decks and dining areas and landscaped, manicured gardens within the village. Stockland anticipates the new vertical village will be ready for the first residents to move in by early 2018.

The new village is walking distance to the world-class Sunshine Coast Health Precinct which includes the new Sunshine Coast Public Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital and Sunshine Coast Health Institute.

The village is also conveniently positioned adjacent to a new 151 bed Opal Aged Care facility, which will be ready for occupation in early 2017. Stockland formed a strategic relationship with Opal Aged Care in 2014 to provide residents with greater peace of mind and a long-term continuum of care as their needs change over time.

Jarrod Bleijie MP, Member for Kawana, Shadow Minister for Employment, Industrial Relations, Skills and Training and Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, said the new vertical retirement village presented an opportunity for retirees seeking a convenient, laid-back lifestyle and acknowledged the local employment opportunities the project would deliver.

“Retirees can enjoy all the perks of Sunshine Coast living, whilst having the benefit of the Health Hub and Sunshine Coast University Hospital precinct literally at their fingertips,” Mr Bleijie said.

“Whether it be in the construction phase or the operational phase, the employment opportunities that this project will deliver is exciting for Sunshine Coast locals.”

Stockland is also investing strongly in a number of key residential projects across the Sunshine Coast including Aura, Queensland’s largest master planned city and Bokarina Beach, the jewel of Oceanside. Bokarina Beach commenced construction last month and is the largest single underdeveloped beachfront parcel of land in southeast Queensland.

Oceanside is shaping up to be a major employment hub for the Sunshine Coast region and is expected to generate 8,300 full-time construction jobs and almost 16,000 additional, ongoing jobs upon completion.

Ben Simpson, Regional Manager for the Sunshine Coast at Stockland, said it was exciting to see the vision for the vibrant Oceanside community becoming a reality.

“We are creating Australia’s healthiest city by the beach, a thriving, 24/7 world-class destination which will be a centre of health and medical excellence and a hub for research and innovation,” Mr Simpson said.

“One of the great things about Oceanside is that it is a sustainable community where healthy and active lifestyles are encouraged and where people can literally live, work, play and now also retire.”

Stockland has also committed to a 4 Star Green Star rating for the new Oceanside Retirement Village.

Customers can register their interest now via the Stockland Retirement Living Contact Centre on 1800 72 71 70.