Council lashes plan to turn landmark office block into apartments – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

“We need a lively CBD,” Gibson said. “You can still fire a gun down Miller Street after dark and not hit anyone.

“Having residents living in the heart of the CBD means the cafes have regulars, it means better bars, better restaurants, better shops.

“I’m identifying as a YIMBY on this one.”

The proposal plunges the 14-storey MLC Building – which was North Sydney’s first high-rise office block when it was completed in 1957 – into a global debate about turning empty and underused office blocks into homes following the pandemic.

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A scoping report for the proposal, prepared by Investa for the Department of Planning, said it would adaptively re-use and preserve the MLC Building’s heritage significance, boost housing supply and diversity, capitalise on proximity to public transport and promote “activation” of the city’s core.

“The proposal will contribute to a stronger and more vibrant North Sydney central business district by delivering rental housing choices and activated ground floor uses within walking distance of public transport and high-amenity outdoor space,” the report said.

The former Coalition state government in 2021 introduced changes to the Housing State Environmental Planning Policy, or SEPP, to permit build-to-rent housing in commercial centres.

Investa argued that build-to-rent, where a developer constructs an apartment block and…