A Hobart councillor is pushing for the council to examine a major waterfront development next to the Macquarie Point stadium, with plans to bury about 3,000 car parks under the Regatta Grounds and add apartments, shops and a ferry terminal.
The proposal would put another major project beside the planned stadium near the Cenotaph, on land already at the centre of years of public debate.
Councillor John Kelly is behind a motion asking the council to take a closer look at the proposal, known as the Regatta Quay Precinct.
His motion asks staff to arrange a briefing from the proponents and prepare a report for the council’s August meeting on the risks, opportunities and implications.
The report would cover how the project fits with council strategies, its impact on council land, traffic and parking and any financial, legal, governance and planning issues.
The development is the work of developer Dean Coleman and grew out of the earlier ‘Stadium 2.0’ concept, which paired a stadium with a large underground car park.
The stadium element has since been removed.
The proposal now includes the underground car park, about 220 homes, childcare, health and commercial spaces, a ferry terminal and a waterfront promenade.
Kelly told Pulse the plan was too good to leave on the shelf.
“The root cause of most of Hobart’s problems is the traffic congestion, lack of parking,” he said.
“We, Hobart, we are standing on the solution for our parking problem and that is underground.”
Kelly said the two projects would work together rather than clash.
The stadium design includes a small underground car park for operations and accessibility, not public commuter parking. Kelly argued the new facility would fill that gap.
“This creates the turnkey solution for the stadium as well,” he said.
The $1.13 billion stadium cleared its final parliamentary hurdle in December 2025, when it passed the Legislative Council.
The 23,000-seat roofed venue is central to Tasmania’s AFL deal to launch the Tasmania Devils from 2028.
Construction is expected to go to tender this year, with builders required to finish before the 2029 season.
In his motion, Kelly said the proposal would not rely on local, state or federal government funding or require the sale of public land, with the developer instead taking a long-term lease of about 99 years.
“It’s a public-private partnership and it’s nothing new,” Kelly said.
“The ratepayers and the taxpayers are immune from any financial input and the risk.”
Kelly said the council would earn more than $5 million a year in rates and fees “without spending a single cent”.
The proposal document puts the figure at $5 million to $7.5 million a year and claims the state would save more than $200 million.
Kelly said he had presented early plans to Macquarie Point Urban Renewal Minister Eric Abetz.
“He’s receptive to having a very close look at the proposal,” Kelly said.
In a statement to Pulse, Minister Abetz said the state government has “always said that Macquarie Point would deliver opportunities beyond the stadium.”
“We welcome all new ideas and visions for the area,” he said.
The council will consider the motion at its meeting on Monday.
