Investment focus
The PDA investment focus revolves around the transformation of its historic industrial heart into a series of connected precincts, presenting a wide range of investment opportunities, including and not limited to:
- medium-density residential apartments, townhouses and terraces
- commercial office accommodation
- retail, leisure and entertainment
- hotel and short-stay accommodation
- education and training.
- medical
Download a copy of the Investment Prospectus Toowoomba CBD and PDA.
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Recent Toowoomba CBD investments
We have invested $100 million in a program of infrastructure upgrades, including new civic, community and public realm investments across the PDA and the Toowoomba CBD. These investments include the Outer Circulating Road project, Toowoomba City Library and Civic Square, Kwong Sang Walk, several laneway projects, the Railway Goods Shed and the Ruthven Street North Streetscape project.
Private sector confidence and investment is changing the face of the Toowoomba CBD, including the $500 million redevelopment of Grand Central shopping centre by Queensland Investment Corporation and new short stay accommodation options, including the Burke & Wills Hotel, Central Plaza Apartments, Laguna Apartments, Quest Apartments, The Arbour Boutique Apartments and the Oaks Hotel.
The Toowoomba CBD and the PDA are renowned for their historic and heritage listed buildings, many of which have been re-purposed, retaining their original characteristics whilst providing new and vibrant spaces for boutique retail, commercial enterprise, restaurants, bars and the growing café culture. Walton Stores and The Bank building on Ruthven Street are two fine examples of this form of high-quality design.
The $30 million development of South Central Apartments has also recently commenced and will be a mixed development of ground floor retail, commercial space with apartment living on the upper floors.
The $10 million redevelopment of the Rowes Furniture Store on Russell Street is a further example of building re-purposing and will provide a vibrant space for hospitality, retail and commercial businesses.
Significant plans and investments are also in the pipeline for key sites in the PDA and the wider CBD, including the recently announced 11-storey multi-deck car park and apartment building and the proposed $8 million project, The Bowery Residences.
Investment incentives
To stimulate investment in the Toowoomba CBD, we manage the Toowoomba CBD Development Incentives Policy. The purpose of the policy is to provide incentives to new development within the incentive area to encourage:
- high quality design outcomes
- sympathetic and adaptive re-use of heritage listed buildings
- the creation of larger development footprints through the amalgamation of lots.
View the Incentives Policy
Toowoomba Region investments
The Toowoomba Region is the gateway to the Surat Basin with existing and significant planned investments in the coal and gas sector. Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport and its related developments, the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing and the planned development of the Toowoomba Trade Gateway have the potential to create thousands of new jobs for the region. The Inland Rail is a further major project which will provide the opportunity for an inland port in the Toowoomba region and generate significant investment in related sectors, including transport, logistics and agribusiness.
The Pulse Data Centre, established in 2018, is the first of its kind offering highly resilient, Tier III Uptime designed large-scale data centre capacity outside of major capital cities. The centre has been designed to support corporate and enterprise customers, all levels of government and major technology companies.
Toowoomba Region is home to three major hospitals, the University of Southern Queensland, TAFE Darling Downs South West and 90 highly regarded government and independent schools.
The Toowoomba Region boasts a strong and diverse $10.8 billion economy, combined with significant projected population growth which delivers tangible lifestyle and employment benefits.
It is this growth and economic opportunity which provides outstanding opportunities for commercial, retail, leisure and entertainment investment and for both short stay and medium density residential accommodation in the PDA and broader CBD.
