LIVE - Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct

Resilient retailers and residents come together

Building a strong sense of community takes time, and there’s nothing like a pandemic to bring people together, even in isolation! We asked Alex Slingsby, Marketing and Community Manager at Smith Collective for an update on how the Smiths are surviving and thriving.

Just over 2 years on from the Commonwealth Games and we are now a thriving community with over 1700 residents! From baby boomers and young families, to university students, millennials, Gen Z’s and healthcare workers, there is something for everyone.

While things were a little quieter than normal during Covid-19 lockdown, we were resilient and our community rallied together in more ways than one. We saw huge generosity from our cafes & restaurants offering up some unbeatable specials, especially for those incredible healthcare workers.

Residents also took matters into their own hands with reports of healthcare workers receiving deliciously cooked dinners from their fellow Smiths. Our retailers were extremely nimble and quickly adapted their businesses to takeaway and delivery to do what they could to keep their doors open. The random acts of kindness were and continue to be flowing in and around the precinct which is such a testament to our residents feeling part of a genuine community that cares for each other.

The pandemic unfortunately impacted across diverse areas, from residents losing their jobs and income, others needing to move back home with their folks and some of our international students having to return home until the dust settles. It has been a tough time for our community and the management team has been tirelessly working through providing customised solutions with individual residents to help them through this unprecedented period.

With restrictions easing, we are so pleased to see residents out and about once more with their furry-friend in tow, enjoying a workout in our resident gyms and taking advantage of our FREE resident Yoga classes.

Meet Georgia, healthcare work and ‘Smith’.

Hi there, I’m Georgia! I am a 27 year old iced latte and book lover with a silky terrier cross chihuahua named Duke. He is the main reason I moved into Smith as so many rentals don’t allow dogs. I love walking around the Smith Collective community with him every morning and night. I love that Smith offers FREE resident Yoga and that there is a coffee shop, Woolworths and BWS on our doorstep AND I also love that it is walking distance to my work.

Residential transformation reinvents renting

At the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct we have innovation in our DNA and the launch of the Precinct’s Smith Collective – Australia’s first build-to-rent community – is all about innovation in the way people live.

Smith Collective, the transformed Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, will be a vibrant residential and retail village and an ideal place to live, work, study and play, with rentals commencing from January 2019.

Bringing the emerging trend in the US and Europe of long-term, stable renting to Australia for the first time, global real estate innovators JLL are promising renters both security and a value-add lifestyle, with Smith Collective billed as much more than a place to live for the 2,500 residents who will call the community home.

Under the model, all 1252 units and townhouses will be tenanted and residents will have access to a range of community health and lifestyle amenities, including a unique retail and dining precinct that will enliven the main streets and help create a 24/7 environment for collaboration, inspiration and recreation.