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Construction has resumed on a South Brisbane site opposite Fish Lane a year after the original project came to a halt, with a redesigned tower adding additional apartments in the fast-growing suburb.
The 30-storey structure at 35 Merivale Street will now have more than 200 units, and two floors of facilities including a “Sommelier Lounge” for wine-tasting and plunge pools.
It comes as development across South Brisbane booms, and just days after plans were announced to completely transform about five hectares of largely-waterfront land nearby with a dozen towers, public space and new Olympic venues.
The Merivale Street building – then called ‘Akin’ – was started by developer Tallis in 2021, but a dispute with the builder led to the project stalling. It was scrapped in 2025.
Verso Projects bought the site, and workers arrived at the start of June to resume construction on the partially built tower base.
It will now be called The Marigold, and is on track to be completed in late 2028.
A redesign added about 35 additional apartments for a total of 223. These will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, as well as penthouses and sub-penthouses. The smallest units will start from $919,000.
It will also include a cinema, work-from-home space, yoga studio, gym, steam and sauna rooms, hot and cold plunge pools with an ice tower, pool, and rooftop gardens.
“The Fish Lane precinct has already set the bar as a leader in Brisbane luxury living and The Marigold has leant into that,” Verso Projects chief executive Steve Laffey said in a statement.
The new structure is being built under the original development application, but amendments outlining the additional units and extra floor of luxury amenities were lodged with Brisbane City Council in May.
Those who had paid deposits on the original development were left devastated by its collapse, with some priced out of the area as Brisbane home values soared. The receiver at the time said contracts had been cancelled and deposits were refunded.
There was no one on site as the rain came down on Thursday afternoon, but a basement car park and central platform were already built under the previous development.
South Brisbane is among the fastest-growing areas in the city, with multiple major tower developments under way.
Just down the road, work has started for three towers – one of which is set to be the tallest in Brisbane outside the CBD at about 205 metres. Aria, the developer of Fish Lane, is behind the project.
There are more than half-a-dozen other towers in the immediate vicinity already under way, while the state government has also controversially sought a developer for the Visy glass factory site on Montague Road.
Some residents have raised concerns the area is growing too quickly, and infrastructure is not keeping up with the population.
“We face overcrowding,” West End State School P&C president Vanessa Bertagnole said in June, when the Stockwell plan was announced.
The government and council argue the city needs increased housing supply amid a historic surge in residents, and South Brisbane provides high-quality public transport and direct access to the CBD.
Verso Projects has several developments across Brisbane under way, including the Ripley Square precinct, Toowong Central and the Woodcarver estate in Rochdale.
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