Village Building Company has revised its proposal for a multi-unit development at the former Australian Federal Police Training College site in Weston Creek, after years of failed plans.
The new proposal has so far been welcomed by the chair of the local community council, who said the plan seems to be a "sensible compromise".
In a new development application, Village Building has detailed plans for 337 dwellings across 26 buildings.
To be delivered across five stages, the $140 million Weston Village would comprise 11 three-storey apartment buildings and five walk-up apartment buildings, with no elevators, totaling 216 dwellings. The remaining 121 townhouses will be spread across 15 two-storey buildings.
The site, known as Block 1 Section 82 Weston, is bordered by Streeton Drive, Unwin Street and Heysen Street.
The proposed development dates back to 2017 when Village Building purchased the nearly six-hectare site for a reported $32 million. In 2018, initial plans to build 256 dwellings on the land were scaled back to 240 homes, following community criticism.
A year later, Village Building proposed 261 homes on the site, plans that were later quashed by the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Despite an increase of more than 70 homes, Weston Creek Community Council chair Bill Gemmell said he is so far pleased with the latest proposal.
"On what I've seen so far, I welcome it," he said.
"It seems like a sensible compromise. As you know, [the development proposal] has been to ACAT and they provided some guidance on the previous set of plans that would not have worked against the various regulations.
"So Village, to their credit, have gone out and put a significant amount of work in it and they've engaged well with the community. So at the moment, we're pleased, it appears to meet the regulations from from our view."
The previous plans had a focus on terraces and townhouses, however the latest application prioritises apartments.
Village Building CEO Vince Whiteside said the mix of dwelling types will address previous community concerns.
"The introduction of apartments, whilst increasing the yield from 260 to 337 dwellings, results in a smaller footprint with the building coverage in the revised plan covering less than a third of the available area. This allows for a greater amount of usable green space," he said.
Vehicle access is proposed from Heysen Street and Unwin Street with a secondary driveway on the east of the block on Heysen Street. Individual dwellings would be accessed via an internal road network and no garages would face the street.
Traffic congestion associated with the development has been the main concern for locals over the years and is likely to be discussed on Thursday night, when the council meets with Village Building.
Mr Gemmell said the government will need to step up to address the issue as well.
"What I have said to the government and I'll say again and again and again, they now have to fulfill their part of the deal and make sure that busy intersection on the corner of Streeton Drive and Heysen Street gets some treatment because it's already difficult," he said.
"It's becoming an unofficial thoroughfare from Woden towards Molonglo Valley and on. So it's quite congested and it needs some serious work or otherwise we'll have disasters everywhere."
The new plans also include removing some existing trees, however Mr Whiteside said a large number of established trees will be retained.
"In addition to retaining these existing trees, the proposed development will include the planting of over 400 new trees and feature six beautifully landscaped pocket parks and enhanced streetscapes through additional planting."
Sustainable elements, such as solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations and the reuse of stormwater to irrigate the landscape and parklands, have also been noted.
Village Building will also seek a lease variation to limit the number of dwellings to 337.
The community is invited to attend the online session on Thursday evening to discuss the application.
