North Ward Liberal Jack Antcliff described Warners Bay as "an exciting part of the city" as Lake Macquarie councillors unanimously endorsed a 25-apartment proposal on Monday night.
In a lightning-quick standing committee meeting that barely reached 15 minutes, councillors approved a development application (DA) for 15-17 Charles Street at Warners Bay.
The developer AGH Group proposes to demolish three existing homes over two blocks and build a four-storey residential flat building.
The decision was placed before the elected council because the development has a maximum height of 15.17 metres (26.4 per cent), which exceeds the Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014 development standard of 12 metres by more than 10 per cent.
The DA received two public submissions in opposition due to overshadowing and privacy concerns, but Cr Antcliff said the location close to the Warners Bay business district and sports grounds made it an attractive proposal.
"A development like this is typical of what we've seen in Warners Bay in the last period, and I think it's an exciting part of our city in terms of the progression that it's gone through," Cr Antcliff said.
"We are seeing these duplex-style and more dense developments appearing close to the economical centre of Warners Bay itself.
"There's obviously a lot more coming in that area, and I hope the Warners Bay area really continues to grow and prosper."
Councillors also unanimously endorsed a DA for a two-storey home proposed for a battleaxe block at 242 Coal Point Road in Coal Point.
Meanwhile, the routine review of the council's Managing Contaminated or Potentially Contaminated Land in Lake Macquarie City policy was endorsed without discussion.
Labor's mayor Adam Shultz (holidays), Madeline Bishop (illness), and Keara Conroy (caring and travel commitments) and Lake Mac Independents' Michael Hannah (caring and travel commitments) were all absent.
