First look: Furtado Property files West End apartment plans

Furtado Property is stepping up its ambitions in the Queensland apartment market, filing plans for a 13-storey apartment development in Brisbane's tightly held West End.

The Graham Furtado-led developer, behind the boutique MIRA Living apartment project in Bargara on Bundaberg's coast, has lodged plans for 113 apartments across a 1,943 sqm amalgamated site at 5 Wolfe Street and 6-8 Greet Street.

MAS Architecture has designed a considerably larger inner-city building with 113 apartments, comprising 92 two-bedroom apartments and 21 three-bedroom residences. The building would rise to 13 storeys, including an expansive rooftop recreation level, above two basement levels.

The height is the key planning departure in the application.

The site sits in Brisbane's HDR1 High Density Residential zone, while the South Brisbane Riverside Neighbourhood Plan nominates a maximum height of seven storeys. Furtado is seeking nearly double that height, triggering an impact assessable application and public notification process.

The planning argument centres heavily on what has happened around the site in recent years.

West End's riverside precinct has continued to transition from its former industrial character to one dominated by medium and high-density apartments, with buildings between six and 13 storeys now surrounding the Furtado site.

The planning report notes eight and nine-storey apartment buildings immediately to the north and south, while sites to the west toward the Brisbane River are being developed with 12-storey apartment buildings.

MAS' contextual analysis also identifies several taller buildings and approvals in the immediate precinct, including the 13-storey Orleigh Residences, the 12-storey Illuminate and 13-storey approvals nearby.

The 1,943 sqm development site is currently occupied by a collection of one and two-storey commercial and industrial buildings and car parking, with frontages to both Wolfe Street and Greet Street.

All existing improvements would be demolished to make way for the project.

Furtado is proposing predominantly larger apartments rather than introducing one-bedroom stock, with the entire 113-residence mix made up of two and three-bedroom configurations.

The building has been designed with deep balconies and varying façade treatments, while landscaping would wrap each boundary. A substantial deep planting area is planned along Wolfe Street, with private terraces for apartments at the lower levels and balconies to apartments above.

The major lifestyle component would sit on the roof.

Plans show a 1,345 sqm recreation deck featuring a gym, function and dining space, outdoor dining areas, a sun terrace, plunge pool, yoga deck, saunas and what would be one of the less common inclusions in Brisbane apartment projects, a padel court.

Shared barbecue areas and extensive communal seating are also proposed, along with around 230 sqm of soft landscaping across the rooftop. The rooftop amenity appears geared toward the owner-occupier market that has increasingly shaped apartment development across West End and the wider inner-Brisbane market.

Two basement levels would accommodate the bulk of the project's parking, with 116 car spaces proposed alongside five motorcycle spaces and 142 bicycle spaces. Vehicle access would be provided from Wolfe Street, with an exit onto Greet Street.

The proposal would have a maximum site cover of just over 60 per cent, allowing Furtado and MAS to introduce landscaping around the building rather than building hard to each boundary.

The planning team at Urbicus argues the proposed height is consistent with West End's evolving built form, particularly given the increasing number of buildings and approvals between 12 and 13 storeys surrounding the site.

"The proposal sensitively considers adjoining and surrounding development," the report states, while noting the scheme would introduce "quality 2 & 3-bedroom housing product to the market."

It marks a significant increase in scale for Furtado Property, whose current apartment development MIRA Living comprises just 25 apartments overlooking the ocean at Bargara, near Bundaberg.

Apartments.com.au first covered MIRA Living when it was launched in 2023, with longtime Brisbane real estate agent Graham Furtado returning to his hometown to develop what was one of Bargara's first new apartment projects in around 15 years. That project is now weeks away from completion and will welcome buyers soon after.