Development decisions are made years before a finished project reaches the market. During that time, demand can shift, market conditions can change and the way people use property can evolve. Building flexibility into a project from the outset can help preserve options.

A proposed residential development at 132 Queen Street in Southport provides an interesting example. The 10-storey proposal includes 126 private residences alongside shared amenity, with a number of design features intended to allow the building and individual spaces to accommodate different uses over time.

Designing for more than one outcome

One of the more interesting elements of the proposal is the flexibility within the residential product itself. Each residence includes its own bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette. Across the building, 28 residences are capable of dual-key use and 21 can operate in tri-key configurations, creating different potential occupancy arrangements within the same overall development.

The value from a development perspective is the optionality this creates. Rather than assuming one configuration will remain appropriate throughout the life of a building, decisions made during the design phase can create greater capacity to respond to the market.

Thinking beyond today’s use

That thinking extends beyond the residences themselves. While the current proposal is entirely residential, the ground floor has been designed with sufficient floor-to-ceiling height to allow for potential conversion to commercial use in the future. It’s a relatively small design consideration, with potentially significant implications.

Development is a long-term exercise. Decisions made early in a project can either limit future possibilities or preserve them.

Flexibility still needs context

Optionality alone does not make a development successful. The appropriate product depends on the site, planning environment, market, feasibility and the needs the project is ultimately intended to serve. In this case, the Queen Street site sits within the Southport CBD Priority Development Area. The proposal explores co-living as one potential residential model for that particular location, incorporating private living spaces, flexible configurations and shared amenity.

The communal areas have been concentrated largely on the rooftop, with indoor and outdoor lounge areas, kitchen and dining spaces, work zones, meeting rooms and private pods proposed for residents.

Preserving options from the outset

There is no single formula for flexibility in development. For one project it may mean adaptable floorplates. For another it could mean multiple dwelling configurations, alternative uses, staged delivery or designing infrastructure with future requirements in mind.

The important question is asked much earlier: What decisions can we make today that give this project more options tomorrow?

That thinking forms part of how we approach development opportunities from the outset, considering the site, market, planning environment and commercial objectives together.

Sevenfold Development Advisers Pty Ltd: Featured in The Urban Developer

The proposed 132 Queen Street development was recently featured by The Urban Developer in its coverage of emerging co-living models on the Gold Coast.

Source note: Project details referenced from The Urban Developer, “Gold Coast Faces Co-Living Test as Southport Scheme Filed”, 6 May 2026.