Rezoning request earmarks major Uniting Communities redevelopment

South Australian aged care provider Uniting Communities could become the centrepiece of a unique integrated community development in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs if the State Government approves a rezoning application for a 2.3-hectare parcel of land. 

Uniting Communities operates the Aldersgate residential aged care home at Felixstow in the city’s inner northeast. Established in 1944, 115 residents call the site home, while the heritage-listed Forsyth House is part of the bustling community. 

A Master Plan developed by the Erwin Vogt Foundation (Uniting Communities is the controlling entity) would see the site on the corner of O.G. Road, a busy suburban thoroughfare, and Turner Street turned into a mixture of buildings between two and six storeys high.

It would have to be approved as an Urban Corridor (Boulevard) Zone for medium to high-density mixed-use developments to achieve this. Similarly zoned locations in Adelaide include Churchill Road, Greenhill Road and Anzac Highway, major arterial roads that include business and residential developments near the CBD. 

As per the plan, the integrated community would feature retirement living, specialist and independent disability living units, aged care, early learning, social and/or affordable housing plus a Build to Rent program to support an intergenerational community. 

“Open, accessible, and uplifting, UC Felixstow will be an integrated community of diverse individuals and shared experiences. A place for all ages and all walks of life. Where participation and interaction are facilitated by inspiring spaces and engaging design. Where an innovative mix of residence, learning, community partnerships and holistic healthcare services enrich life in new ways,” the Erwin Vogt Foundation stated in its application. 

“This rezoning will unlock a large, consolidated strategic land parcel to provide an opportunity for increased housing diversity with affordable housing options and the opportunity for new medical, allied health and educational offerings, building upon the existing key infrastructure assets adjoining the site.”

These assets include a local pool – which also has a proposed redevelopment as part of the package – a library and a community centre. 

Uniting Communities would likely be the main service provider as it already delivers a range of disability and aged care services alongside family and homelessness support. 

The development would see existing buildings such as Forsyth House and a chapel retained and refurbished as part of the three-stage development. 

If approved, the completed site would include at least 80 aged care places, 52 retirement living units and a three-storey specialist dementia care building. 

“This proposal looks at providing more housing and lifestyle choices for Adelaide’s increasingly an ageing population,” South Australian Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion said.

“As well as providing more housing, the proposal looks at supporting infrastructure as well as community facilities. Investigations will look at whether the area can support an increase in density and if six-storey residential development is appropriate for the area.”

Uniting Communities is no stranger to out-of-the-box thinking. It operates retirement residences at U City, an apartment complex in Adelaide’s CBD. These residences occupy the top six floors of the 20-storey building that features a club lounge, and gym and is central to all of Adelaide’s city activities and amenities. 

With the Master Plan accepted, it has progressed to an engagement stage. The public consultation date has not been confirmed.