Australian developer Third.i, and real estate private equity group Phoenix Property Investors have further expanded their partnership in Sydney, acquiring the last two of Sydney Metro’s Crows Nest over station development sites in the Lower North Shore.
The joint venture acquired the site via Private Treaty with Sydney Metro and the NSW Government, with the deal negotiated by Third.i’s Head of Acquisitions, Florian Caillon, and Sydney Metro’s commercial team.
The Crows Nest over station development is situated over the new Crows Nest Metro Station, which is due to be operational by 2024. As one of six new stations planned for the Sydney Metro City and Southwest regions, the new developments will extend the Metro Rail from Chatswood, under the Sydney Harbour and through the Sydney CBD to Bankstown.
The concept proposal for both over station developments was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in December 2020, with the first site, referred to as Lot A, set to deliver an innovative commercial and retail development above the station, with plans to have health and wellness at the forefront of design.
The second site, Lot B, will deliver a mixed-use site consisting of ground floor retail with an overhead residential offering, helping Crows Nest secure its place as one of the best areas to live, work and play on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.
Co-founder & Director of Acquisitions at Third.i, Bob Huxley said the project will be a legacy development for Third.i and will add significant value to the Crows Nest community.
“Third.i is extremely excited to commence a relationship with Sydney Metro and the NSW Government and work with them to deliver what will be an outstanding, market-leading project for the Sydney region,” said Huxley.
“We have an established network of retail operators, and have already had a number of world class businesses express an interest in pre-committing to space at the Crows Nest over station development, which is just incredible. It really demonstrates the demand and need for this type of development in Sydney’s Lower North Shore.”
With the acquisition bringing Third.i’s overall project pipeline to over $4 billion across Australia and the UK, the project will also mark the fifth joint venture for Third.i and Phoenix Property Investors.
Trent Winduss, Head of Australia at Phoenix Property Investors, said they were excited to continue their strong track record with Third.i, which has proven success especially across Sydney’s North Shore.
“This includes the selling out of the major residential project Balfour Place in Lindfield as well as the sale of the Blue & William commercial precinct in North Sydney to Lendlease that was acquired by Keppel REIT,” Winduss concluded.