Restraint rewarded: new VMCH village positioned to be a showcase on the possible
The net result is a village that can be a reference point for future village developments in Melbourne.
Conceived, built and sold in five years, St. Clare retirement village will be the benchmark in what can be created in seniors living in Melbourne.
Located in a suburban street in upmarket Kew, this heritage site, surrounded by significant Melbourne period homes, has beaten the odds and been delivered to its original schedule and budget. It welcomed its first residents over the past week, with the majority of its 103 apartments sold. The project has an end value of $250 million.
The land holding could have carried more structures, but VMCH (the rebranded Villa Maria Catholic Homes) allocated 50% of the site to open spaces that has delivered open vistas to all apartments.
The heritage building, which was in a bad condition, has been reimagined as a sophisticated club, complete with a Speakeasy bar in the basement.
The apartments themselves are large by any standards, including oversized balconies.
The net result is a village that can be a reference point for future village developments in Melbourne.
The VCMH team state that they themselves visited a wide range of villages to shape their vision of what they could achieve. As thanks, CEO Sonya Smart and her team, staged an Open House inspection event for 120 executives from the village sector last Thursday plus a tour of the village.
