A new approach to inner-city living has been proposed for Ballarat.
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Developers have gained a planning permit for a block at 27 Mair Street East, on the corner of Davies Street near the rail line, for a mixed-use building, which is now up for sale.
The plans reveal a ground floor cafe, space for offices on the first floor, and two second floor apartments.
There would be parking included for the residents.
Presently, there is a popular late-night food outlet on the 166-square metre site, and a for lease sign has been put up.
Ray White Ballarat is selling the property, and real estate agent Trevor Booth said the Mair Street property was a "rarity" for Ballarat.
"Given the inner city living concept which has started to gain momentum in Ballarat, (the owner) felt it was an opportunity to design and obtain council approvals for a mixed use development, and he's decided to put this to the market after having done all the hard work to obtain the permit," he explained.
"It's not massive, but certainly maximises the use and adds the maximum amount of value possible under the controls for residential and commercial development.
"It's such a smart looking building, I love the concept of it."
While the design is unusual based on previous developments, Mr Booth said he'd like to see more proposals of this type, and on a larger scale.
There's already been some initial feedback, he added, and with the site positioned close to GovHub and safety upgrades on the way for Mair Street, he expects there to be more interest.
While Ballarat's rental vacancy rate is now at 1.1 per cent, up from 0.7 per cent in November, the demand for housing is not showing signs of slowing.
The proposal is one of several higher density projects planned for Ballarat, helping to bring more people into the CBD and prevent sprawl in outer suburbs.
The Nightingale project, for example, is planned for Davey Street, and had about 100 people attend an information session last month.
A second information session is planned for next Wednesday, where architects will discuss the design for the sustainable and minimalist apartment complex.
Other housing proposals, including for high density, inner-city apartments and townhouses, are still resolving planning issues or being shown to potential buyers.
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