Case Study
Melrose Park Urban Renewal
Setting the Benchmark for a New Suburb
Project Overview
Project: Melrose Park Urban Renewal – Stage 1 & 2 Buildings
Location: Melrose Park, Sydney NSW
Client / Joint Venture: Payce & Sekisui House
Role: Project Manager and Superintendent (Stage 1 & 2)
Buildings: One Melrose & The Residence
Melrose Park represents one of Sydney’s most significant urban renewal precincts. JAPM was appointed by Payce as Project Manager and Superintendent for the first two residential buildings, playing a pivotal role in setting the quality, delivery standards, and momentum for the entire estate.
These first two buildings were critical. They were not just early stages – they became the benchmark projects against which all future buildings across the precinct would be measured.
The Strategic Importance of the First Two Buildings
In large-scale urban renewal, the earliest stages determine the success of everything that follows. JAPM approached One Melrose and The Residence with a clear objective:
Deliver two flagship buildings that would become the ‘crown jewels’ of the estate and set an uncompromising standard for quality, coordination, and execution.
The outcome established confidence across stakeholders, purchasers, development partners, and future delivery teams, ensuring the broader precinct launched from a position of strength.
One Melrose – Stage 1
Residential Apartments: 277
Retail: 1 ground-floor retail tenancy
One Melrose was the first residential building delivered within the Melrose Park Urban Renewal precinct. As the inaugural project, it carried the highest level of scrutiny and expectation.
JAPM’s role focused on:
Establishing construction, quality, and safety benchmarks
Coordinating complex stakeholder interfaces
Driving program certainty and disciplined cost control
Ensuring design intent translated into built quality
The successful delivery of One Melrose created immediate market confidence and demonstrated that Melrose Park would be a high-quality, well-managed development, not simply a high-density housing project.
The Residence – Stage 2
Residential Apartments: 221
Building on the momentum of One Melrose, The Residence further elevated delivery standards and refined processes established during Stage 1.
JAPM applied lessons learned to:
Improve construction sequencing and efficiencies
Strengthen consultant and contractor coordination
Maintain consistency in quality while managing scale
The Residence reinforced JAPM’s delivery framework and confirmed that the benchmark set by One Melrose was repeatable, scalable, and robust.
Setting the Standard for the Entire Precinct
Together, One Melrose and The Residence became the reference projects for the remainder of the estate.
They established:
Quality expectations for future residential buildings
Delivery processes adopted across subsequent stages
Confidence for investors, purchasers, and government stakeholders
Most importantly, they set the tone for Melrose Park’s transformation into a vibrant, liveable suburb capable of housing thousands of residents for generations to come.
IIII JAPM® Value Add
JAPM®’s involvement extended well beyond traditional project management:
Acting as Project Manager and Superintendent to protect client and stakeholder interests
Proactively managing risk, program, and quality on high-profile first stages
Establishing delivery systems and standards scalable across a large estate
Providing certainty in a complex public–private partnership environment
Our approach ensured that the first two buildings did more than get built – they set the foundation for the success of the entire Melrose Park Urban Renewal.
Key Takeaway
By getting the first buildings right, JAPM helped set Melrose Park on a trajectory to become a thriving, high-quality suburb rather than just another large-scale development.
These projects demonstrate how disciplined project leadership, early-stage rigor, and uncompromising standards create long-term value well beyond individual buildings.