The Brisbane CBD fringe commercial property market is set to expand to include the Kelvin Grove Urban Village, following the Department of Housing’s sale to Citimark Properties of two adjoining lots for a mixed-used retail and office development.

Citimark will develop a six-storey commercial building with ground floor retail outlets on two adjoining sites on the Village’s main street, Musk Avenue. The proposed development is configured as two separate “wings” centred around a full-height open atrium providing natural light to all floors and assisting with climatic control.

The Kelvin Grove Urban Village is sponsoring the 2006 Brisbane Writers Festival, with a program of events, Urban Village Voice, being held at the Village on Wednesday 13 September.

The program includes daytime workshops and master classes for school and university students, a lunchtime discussion panel on crime fiction, and the festival keynote address and opening party in the evening. Most of the Urban Village Voice events will be held in the Creative Industries Precinct at the Village, while the other Festival events will be held at Southbank and the Powerhouse from 14-17 September.

For more information and the full program, visit the Brisbane Writers Festival website. http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au

One-stop-shopping convenience combined with an enviable assortment of gourmet speciality stores will draw shoppers from near and far to the Village Centre, with 25 retailers set to open their doors on 4 September 2006.  

The Village Centre offers European style shop top living above exclusive gourmet food stores and restaurants such as an organic based fruit and vegetable market, a full range delicatessen featuring a walk-in fromagerie, an Italian bakery, a Supa IGA, dessert bar and a variety of restaurants offering stylish alfresco dining.

Retailers include:

• The Cheese Room – a full service delicatessen which includes a walk-in fromagerie
• Inn Season - a vibrant and convenient store to source the seasons best fresh produce, organic speciality ingredients and beverages.
• Gerbino’s – an old fashioned Italian bakery, specialising in Italian pastries
• Blue Lotus - desert bar serving both ice-cream and gelati
• CP Breakfast – an all day breakfast restaurant that converts into a stylish bar after dark

Keep an eye out for the official opening of the Village Centre with a Gala Market Day on Sunday 15 October 2006, with a day full of family friendly festivities from 10am.

Education Queensland will build its Creative Industries Smart Academy at Kelvin Grove Urban Village, with the school building in Musk Avenue expected to be ready for the 2008 academic year.

The Creative Industries Academy and Science, Maths and Technology Academy (to be developed at Toowong) will accelerate learning opportunities for Queensland's best and brightest students, with both Academies set to provide academic programs through the highly regarded International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

The Creative Industries Academy will open in January 2007, and will be temporarily housed in a building on the QUT campus while the Academy building is under construction.

For more information, visit the Queensland Academies website http://www.qldacademies.eq.edu.au/index.html.

The Kelvin Grove Urban Village project has launched a new logo and branding to coincide with an advertising campaign kicking off in August. To keep up with the new branding, the project website is being given a facelift with a new looks, improved navigation and added features. Keep an eye out for the new website, which will be launched in the next few weeks.

La Boite:

Last Drinks by Shaun Charles (adapted from the novel by Andrew McGahan)
17 August – 2 September

Last Drinks is a darkly comic sobering look at our shared history, and a glimpse into the troubled heart of Queensland.  George Verney, a former alcoholic, disgraced journalist and bit-player, returns to Brisbane from his self-imposed exile upon learning of the death of his friend, Charlie.

It's the decade since the infamous inquiry into corruption tore the state apart, but for George Verney the inquiry has never quite finished.  In a town he no longer recognises and through the underworld that has forgotten him, George must seek out the other hidden survivors of his times, to confront the truth about their common past and find a way to let the dead rest in peace.

For bookings contact QTIX on 136 246 or visit the La Boite website on www.laboite.com.au .

Creative Industries Precinct:

Exhibition
No Nonsense, Great Shapes: A survey of past and recent video works by Jemima Wyman

15 August to 2 September
the block, QUT Creative Industries Precinct
Open: Tues and Wed 2-6.30pm, Thurs and Fri 2-8pm, Sat 4-8pm
Free entry

A visual feast of colour and movement which activates and illuminates, incorporating the latest media technologies inspiring a visceral response.

Escape 06

20-22 September 2006
the block and the Parade Ground, QUT Creative Industries Precinct
Free entry

Twilight – 6pm: Daily performances by the best of QUT’s final year Music and Sound students
Hyper-collaboration – 7pm and  8pm: Experience groups and ensembles innovatively merged into experimental new genres
Escape CLUB – 9pm: Bands, DJ’s and more until late

NB Escape has a licensed bar. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Kelvin Grove Urban Village website
www.kgurbanvillage.com.au

Department of Housing
www.housing.qld.gov.au

Queensland University of Technology
www.qut.edu.au

QUT Creative Industries Precinct
www.ciprecinct.com.au/

The Village Centre (Indigo Projects)
www.villagecentre.com.au

La Boite Theatre Company
www.laboite.com.au