A long-awaited multi-million dollar development in central Wodonga will not be completed to its original deadline.
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The Quarter, a residential and commercial project on the site of Wodonga's former court house and police station, has been forced to revise its construction timeframe.
The Criterion Property Group, which owns the land, will have an extra 12 months to finish the refashioning of the Elgin Boulevard site after a council decision made behind closed doors at the city's May meeting.
The council authorised its chief executive Matthew Hyde to amend clauses within a section 173 planning agreement for the development also known as CBD West.
The alterations involve extending "the timeframes for substantial commencement and practical completion of the project by 12 months and the timeframes for retransfer rights for substantial commencement and practical completion of the project by 12 months".
At the time the first sod was turned on The Quarter in September 2023, it was estimated the project, which involves a five-storey building of 28 units and a three-level commercial block, would be completed by April-May 2025.
However, in recent months there has been no work on the site with a giant excavated hole left along with a big mound of dirt.
Criterion Property Group founder John Mooney said the structure of the buildings and their footings were being re-engineered after it was found there was a lack of demand for a large apartment.
He said it was now planned to split that unit into two and as a result there was a redesign and tendering process being undertaken.
"But the project is still on foot," Mr Mooney said.
He said due to work being done to finalise the new section 173 agreement he could not say anything further at the moment.
A Wodonga Council representative also confirmed the fresh deal was still to be finalised.
The latest delay with the project continues a turbulent journey for the redevelopment of the site which was bought by Sydney-based Criterion for $3.55 million in early 2020 after its offer was accepted by the vendor, Wodonga Council, in late 2019.
In September 2020, Criterion lodged its stage-one plans with The Quarter name emerging for the first time.
Then in June 2021 changes were made to the initial $40 million-plus redevelopment with an extra level added to the building fronting the boulevard.
By the time of the sod turning, contracts had been signed on half of the then proposed 28 units, equating to 50 per cent of the apartments.
"There's been a lot of twists and turns and complications," Mr Mooney told those gathered for the launch of the project.
