Four residential and hotel towers could be built next to Glebe Park, in the latest iteration of a long-running plan to redevelop a Civic hotel.
But the plans have drawn criticism from nearby apartment owners who say the buildings, which are proposed to be up to 14 storeys, constitute "over-development".
Hotel developer and owner Salter Brothers has long sought to redevelop the Crowne Plaza Canberra on Binara Street, which it has owned since 2015.
In 2018, they proposed a 250-room Holiday Inn Express hotel in the car park in front of the Crowne Plaza.
It took until 2021 for plans to be finalised, which included renders of the 14-storey hotel. The plans, also opposed by local residents, did not go ahead.
Now the group is proposing four buildings, including a "premium luxury" hotel, a lifestyle hotel and two residential buildings for up to 700 residents.
To be called One Binara, the development will also include retail shops and some event spaces.
Salter Brothers executive development director Gavin Biles said the luxury hotel would fill a gap in the market, while the lifestyle hotel would cater to longer stays.
Mr Biles said the design would create better access through the site and to Glebe Park.
"The connections into Glebe Park are impacted and not as good as they should be for a city centre," he said.
He said separate buildings up to 14 storeys, rather than a shorter building that takes up more ground-floor space, would allow for better solar access and views through the complex.
"The beauty of that is it creates less groundscraper-type buildings, which allows for everyone to benefit from better access to a shared way which actually opens up the site," Mr Biles said.
Local residents are concerned about the impact the development would have on the area, including Glebe Park.
Partnership of Executive Committees in the City (PECC) represents 16 apartment complexes and about 5000 residents.
PECC founding member Annie Gregg, a resident of a 16-storey complex, said the group did not support the proposal in its current form.
"To have the development that they've proposed, it just boggles the mind when you think that we've already got massive issues ... with traffic congestion and wind tunnelling and sound," she said.
Instead, they want to see a proposal that is "in harmony" with the surrounding environment, member and former federal Labor MP Mike Kelly said.
Among their main concerns is the impact the development would have on Glebe Park, including overshadowing.
"[Glebe Park is] an asset for the entire urban community," Dr Kelly said.
"It's effectively almost like a heritage site, frankly, and it should be respected."
The development will create some overshadowing on Glebe Park, the developer said.
However, Mr Biles said the existing hotel and nearby complexes, including Manhattan on the Park, Park Avenue and Highgate, already overshadowed the park in the afternoon.
The resident group believes a nine-storey development with setbacks would be better suited to the area.
"People aren't saying, 'Don't build'. They're saying just build something that's contiguous with what currently exists," Ms Gregg said.
The group is also calling for "meaningful" consultation between the developer and residents.
Salter Brothers is holding a consultation session at the Crowne Plaza on Wednesday, May 15.
The developer aims to submit a development application in late June and anticipates work would begin in 2026, subject to approvals.
Construction is estimated to take two-and-a-half years to complete.
