2000 homes planned for riverside estate

On Monday night, the council is set to approve a rezoning application that paves the way for an ambitious development that will transform 260ha of farm land into a landscaped 2000-home residential estate in the next decade.

Riverside Estate, near Killara, will include 6km of river frontage including the Kiewa and Murray rivers and Wodonga Creek.

The estate will stretch from the Murray Valley Highway around the eastern and northern base of Huon Hill linking back with East Wodonga.

Homes will be built on a belt of land between the 100-year flood level and a contour height of 210m on the hill itself.

Part of the rezoning will also include a “Thurgoona-like” commercial centre.

A 60m-wide green belt will form the core of the estate’s passive recreation, with more than 15km of bike tracks planned and the potential for a pedestrian and cycling bridge crossing of the Murray River providing access to Albury.

JMP Developments, a consortium of investors, plans to stage the releases of land over the next five to 10 years.

Spokesman Andrew Stern said the company was excited about the new subdivision.

“Riverside will provide Albury-Wodonga with the exclusive opportunity to live along the Kiewa and Murray rivers while being minutes from the Wodonga city centre, and with easy access to Albury ... on the Bandiana link,” he said.

“It will cater for lot sizes ranging from 500sq m up to 2000sq m and beyond.

“The smaller lots, many of which will front parks, nature reserves and waterways, will appeal to those who prefer compact, low-maintenance gardens, while the larger lots positioned on hillsides overlooking the Kiewa Valley will offer the chance to experience authentic rural living.

Mr Stern said the estate was too big to deliver in one or two stages.

“We are looking to get the first lots on the market early next year and that will include some of the river front land.”