Brisbane’s $1.5bn Triple Tower ‘Little Italy’ Breaks Ground

Italy’s guardians of construction surely will be out in force in Brisbane’s inner-city Newstead with shovels hitting dirt on the first stage of a $1.5-billion triple-tower mixed-use precinct.

That’s assuming the unique cultural phenomenon of what is the building industry’s equivalent of train spotting has translated locally.

The “Umarelli”—as they are known—are retired Italian men who spend their days around construction sites with their hands clasped behind their backs, inspecting the progress and occasionally giving unsolicited advice to the workers.

Many of them have had lifelong careers in the sector. And so beloved are they in Italy, designated viewing platforms are often provided for them on the sites.

In Australia, if there was anywhere you would expect to see them gathered, it would have to be around the 7440sq m site of Panettiere Property Group’s Little Italy project that will comprise 700 apartments.

▲ A rendering of the first tower of Panettiere Property Group’s Little Italy project at Newstead.

And according to director Max Panettiere, his 88-year-old father Filippo—a retired builder and founder of the family business—is already on the job.

“He’s an old school builder and he’s here every day screaming at everyone, telling them to get off their phones,” Panettiere said.

Breaking ground on the mixed-use lifestyle precinct in the city’s Italian heartland is a milestone that has been seven years in the making for Panattiere and his brothers Joe and Michael.

“The whole family and extended family are here for it—even my aunty from Italy flew over for it,” Panettiere said. “We’ve got the Italian Consul coming. We’ve got Italian singers, dancers. We’re making Italian sausages and homemade pasta.”

The first stage of the development on Longland Street is to feature its centrepiece 31-storey tower Oro—Newstead’s tallest building—with 197 apartments, of which 50 per cent are already sold, rising from a cobblestoned piazza with a cafe, authentic Italian restaurant, pizzeria, artisan gelateria and laneway.

Wellness amenities spanning 2400sq m will include a gym, pilates and yoga studios, heated rooftop and indoor pools with hot and cold plunge zones, sauna, steam and salt therapy rooms. Residents will also have access to private dining rooms, lounges, co-working spaces and an exclusive guest suite.

Subsequent stages of the approved Bureau Proberts-designed scheme will accommodate its Bianco and Argento towers, as well as an Italian inspired mercato, delicatessen, bakery, pasta and pastry shop and other specialty retailers.

“Through each design touchpoint, our aspiration is to honour Newstead’s traditional Italian influence and our Panettiere family history, bringing our own version of La Dolce Vita to Brisbane’s thriving Inner North community,” Panettiere said.

“What excites me most is the opportunity to continue our construction legacy by creating a space that merges premium architecture, state-of-the-art facilities and elevated liveability with neighbourhood authenticity and connection.”

Italian migration to Queensland dates back to the 1870s and Brisbane experienced an post-war influx in the late 1940s, many of them settling in the New Farm/Newstead area.

The Panettieres bold vision was given the green light by the Brisbane City Council in October of 2024.

But the project’s progress hit an unexpected early snag when Queensland-based building titan Scott Hutchinson, who owns the neighbouring live music venue The Triffid, filed an appeal in the Planning and Environment Court arguing the proposed development had been given the nod despite a  “deficient” noise impact assessment.

In the documents, it was claimed the proposal “does not provide adequate technical assessment nor design that will ensure the protection of the amenity of future residents from amplified music”.

As it turned out, Panettiere was more than happy to oblige and the two parties negotiated a solution to resolve the matter.

The family’s Little Italy vision evolved after they acquired a 3298sq m parcel at 75 Longland Street for $13.192 million in 2017. It was initially approved for a more modest 22-storey tower scheme but that sparked a bigger ambition and they started securing surrounding sites.

“Yeah, it’s been seven years but we’ve finally got there,” Panettiere said. “It’s the biggest private development in Brisbane and, as I say, we’re all in.”