Additional documents detailing the Nightingale apartment block proposal reveal an application for a liquor licence, as the project opens up for public submissions.
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The five-storey, 16.4 metre tall building, on Davey Street, will have 27 one- and two-bedroom apartments, 14 underground car parks, and a small cafe on the ground floor.
The Nightingale model, developed in Melbourne, involves building and selling apartments in a socially, environmentally, and financially responsible way, according to the not-for-profit company's materials - there are covenants on re-sale, and apartments are designed with public transport and communal facilities in mind.
The Davey Street proposal is the first outside Melbourne, and at least 70 per cent of the apartments have already been sold.
Planning permit reports show there is a focus on "recycled bricks" for the eastern, street-facing facade, which intends to match with the look of the area and meet heritage overlay requirements.
A heritage impact report concludes the proposal is "an acceptable heritage outcome, despite its unusual scale".
"In the particular context with appropriate conditions, it is my recommendation that the application is worthy of support on heritage grounds," wrote John Briggs, of John Briggs Architects.
Being considerably taller than surrounding buildings, a shadow report is also included, with "minimal" overlooking into neighbours' properties.
According to Nightingale's Jennifer Kulas, the cafe downstairs "might be" leased or bought by an operator.
"The venue will be in line with the Nightingale principles in that it will not be gas plumbed and will be carbon neutral in operation, as the apartments will be," she said in a statement.
"Nightingale Housing will work to find a values-aligned commercial tenant for the space."
The liquor licence application for the cafe is for 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, in a space for up to 44 patrons.
While the documents note the height of the building is 16.4 metres, the rules for Residential Growth Zone 1 state development should generally be capped at 13.5 metres.
A City of Ballarat spokesperson said in a statement there was "discretion to provide for an increase on this height in regard to specific topography of site-specific matters".
In the plans, a north-facing exterior wall shows space for "hand painted art".
While the project has less car parks than is usually required, residents will have free membership of a car-share program, with allocated car parks out the front for the shared vehicle, and there will also be extra bike parking spaces in the basement.
The project has previously held community consultation sessions to gauge interest and inform potential buyers, and recently invited "immediate neighbours" through a letterbox drop to one-on-one sessions to raise concerns.
Ms Kulas acknowledged there had been some issues brought to developers' attention.
"We've addressed concerns for some neighbours and we understand and appreciate that fundamentally we all have a right to an opinion and that this is enshrined in the town planning process," she said.
The City of Ballarat will consider the matter at the end of the notification period and the consultation process is undertaken.
"Officers has worked with the developers around provision of further information to ensure that the application was complete before it was advertised, however a formal assessment from officers does not take place until the completion of the notice period," the spokesperson said.
"Officers have assessed the proposal and determined it complete for the purpose of advertising and will deal with any concerns raised by any party though the advertising process."
Ms Kulas said the project had reached a level of design "that satisfies the many departments in the City of Ballarat".
"The structure plan identifies this as the appropriate place to strengthen urban community and council have been rigorous in requiring the absolute best urban design and sustainability outcomes for the people of Ballarat," she said.
"It's been a challenging and rewarding iterative process working with City of Ballarat on this project to date."
She also issued a call-out for recycled bricks for the facade.
"There are no bricks on site as part of the existing building that can be used. We'd really like to use bricks from Ballarat, anyone who might have such material locally, please get in touch."
The documents are available to view on council's website.
Anyone looking for more information, who who has concerns, should email ballarat@nightingalehousing.org
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