“The Board Chair said my counterparts would think I’m crazy. I’m crazy for mission”

Scalabrini Communities CEO Richard de Haast has revealed the approved State Significant Development for its site in Drummoyne, 6km west of Sydney’s CBD, faced a significant challenge.

Scalabrini's Harbourside, a $60 million retirement living and aged care project on Sydney’s Parramatta River, was approved in record time by the NSW Government in August 2025.

“We discovered after the approval it was unfeasible to build on top of the two buildings due to the existing condition of those buildings,” he said.

However, the NSW Government increased the floor space ratios and height permitted for seniors housing late last year.

“It was fortuitous timing. We decided to start again and came up with two towers of two- and three-bedroom apartments with water views. But we are Scalabrini and it did not fit right.

“The narrative was we would be making mountains of money. The board was uneasy so I thought about our communities, our mission, to take care of the most vulnerable.

“I decided to include 24 studio and one-bedroom units, which will be in perpetuity. They will be available to rent, be affordable, for the most part.

“I took to the board the new plans and the Board Chair said I would be looked at as crazy by my counterparts. I replied that I was fulfilling Scalabrini’s mission and that is what I am crazy about.”

Jackson Teece, the architect behind the original State Significant Development, has designed the revised proposal which has been lodged with the NSW Government.

The new plans include:

• Demolition of the existing buildings and structures on the site;
• Excavation and earthworks to accommodate a new basement;
• Construction of two new buildings on the site (Como & Piacenza);
• One six-storey building (Piacenza – closest to water) containing 27 Independent Living Unit Apartments;
• One seven-storey building (Como – closest to St Georges Crescent) containing 24 affordable studio and one-bedroom units, 40 Independent Living Units, and a two-bed Residential Care Facility integrated within a Care Hub;
• Rooftop terraces for each building;
• Adaptive reuse of an existing one-storey building to a café.

Under the KLEP 2015, the site has a maximum building height of 8.5 metres. However, the proposal seeks to use provisions in the Housing SEPP 2021 to increase the allowable height by 3.8 metres, according to the Urbis Scoping Report.

The proposal also seeks to access the 25% floor space ratio bonus available for independent living units and residential aged care facilities, increasing the permitted FSR to 0.625:1.

The State Significant Development application is expected to be formally lodged in November 2026.