Toowoomba building owned by the same family for a century set to be developed
If it wasn’t for the carelessness of one customer, one of Toowoomba’s most well-known commercial buildings could have been destined for a very different fate.
Instead the Longs Building, which occupies a prime position in the Toowoomba CBD and held by the same family for 107 years, looks set to be transformed into apartments, offices or even a motel when the expressions of interest campaign closes at the end of November.
The site also includes a large car park. Photo: Supplied
Originally known as City Chambers, the Longs Building was built by New Zealander John Robert Long in 1909, although the Long family’s association with the site is said to date back further.
It has not changed hands since. But in 1956 a disastrous fire did see significant alterations to the building, including to the facade – enough to ensure it missed out on a local heritage listing.
The fire reportedly started on the upper storey of the building in La Gallia hairdressing salon, after a customer left a burning cigarette on a couch.
The building was repaired but has remained largely unchanged ever since, and in recent years the Long family has been winding down tenancies in the building in order to ready it for sale.
Listing agents Justin Eastwell and Dan Dwan of Colliers International Toowoomba say that 199-207 Margaret Street, which is being sold with a 29 car-space site at 12-19 Chronicle Lane to create a combined site size of 2218 square metres, has received a flurry of interest since being listed at the beginning of November.
Inside one of the vacated tenancies. Photo: Supplied
“There’s been extensive interest, from a mixture of local and out of town developers,” Mr Dwan said.
“Toowoomba CBD has seen a large number of properties repurposed in recent times.”
All existing tenants in the complex are on month-to-month leases, with the exception of one lease which is due to expire on May 27, 2017.
The combination of land size, short-term agreements and the lack of heritage restrictions make the building a unique proposition in Toowoomba, which has seen a spate of medium-rise developments in the past few years.
“It’s one of the best opportunities in Toowoomba,” Mr Eastwell said.
Future developments could include office space, residential apartments, a hotel or motel operation or a combination of uses under local planning guidelines, Mr Dwan said.
Any new development could be up to eight storeys high, subject to council approval.
Toowoomba’s population is set to grow by 52,310 people by 2036, on state government estimates, with recent developments such as the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (a bypass project) and the commencement of Cathay Pacific cargo flights from nearby Wellcamp Airport to China last year set to boost the local economy.
“Toowoomba is in a really good position at the moment,” Mr Dwan said.
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