Urban marks the milestone for 176 new homes, built with Illawarra trades and a new through-site link to Charlotte Street.
Urban Property Group (Urban) has marked the topping out of Stage 1 of Keira Place in Wollongong’s CBD, a milestone for 176 new homes, including 31 affordable rental apartments and 20 specialist disability accommodation dwellings.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully, Lord Mayor of Wollongong Tania Brown and Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Housing and the Illawarra and South Coast Chris Rath MLC joined Urban Co-CEOs Patrick and Mark Elias at 120–122 Smith Street to mark the milestone.
Stage 1 of the mixed-use precinct comprises two residential buildings, activated ground-floor retail and commercial space, and a through-site link to Charlotte Street. Completion is targeted for Q3 – Q4 2027.
Urban Co-CEO Patrick Elias said the milestone showed Urban delivering on its commitment to Wollongong.
“When we celebrated the groundbreaking with the Minister in May, we made a commitment to Wollongong. Today, standing at the top of Stage 1, you can see that commitment taking shape,” Mr Patrick Elias said.
“Keira Place is about giving people real housing choice in the city centre, from market apartments to affordable rental and specialist disability homes, close to jobs, transport, the hospital, the university and the coast.
“Every home is backed by our 4.5-star iCIRT rating and 10-year Latent Defects Insurance, because buyers deserve confidence that their home is built to last.”
Urban Co-CEO Mark Elias thanked the construction team and local trades for reaching the milestone safely and on program.
“Topping out belongs to the people on the tools. Our site team, subcontractors and suppliers, many of them from the Illawarra, have done an outstanding job to get us here with 240 workers on site at peak,” Mr Mark Elias said.
“With Stage 2 progressing through planning, this is just the beginning of our commitment to Wollongong.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“It’s no secret that Wollongong needs more homes and delivering them close to transport, jobs and services is a sensible place for additional density in a growing city.
“Keira Place is also increasing housing diversity, delivering a number of affordable and specialist disability housing alongside market homes to deliver better outcomes for our community on a site left largely unused for most of my life,” Mr Scully said.
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Tania Brown said:
“Keira Place is bringing new life to Smith Street and the northern edge of our city centre. More people living in the CBD means more customers for local businesses and a more vibrant city, day and night.
“Seeing this milestone reached is a great signal of confidence in Wollongong’s future,” Cr Brown said.
Chris Rath MLC said:
“Congratulations to Urban Property on this milestone. Illawarra and NSW desperately need more housing supply and this project helps achieve that goal. The Illawarra is the best part of NSW to live, work and raise a family and now because of this project, more people will be able to call this beautiful part of the world home.”
Designed by Cox Architecture with interiors by DKO, Keira Place features communal podium lawns and BBQ facilities on level two, a communal rooftop with views to Mount Keira and the Wollongong skyline, and a pedestrian-friendly streetscape along Smith Street.
Stage 2 of Keira Place, lodged as a State Significant Development in May 2026 and identified by the NSW Housing Delivery Authority as a priority housing project, proposes three buildings of 12 to 30 storeys with 391 apartments and 251 co-living units, subject to approval. When both stages are complete, the precinct will deliver more than 800 new homes in Wollongong’s CBD.
Keira Place forms part of Urban’s long-term investment in the Illawarra, with further projects planned for Wollongong.
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