In a lavish evening at Palazzo Versace, Sunland gave a host of industry insiders a look into their plans for the coming year.

It will be a busy year for the local developer, and recent acquisitions – like land at Royal Pines and The Glades feature prominently.  It also marks a continuation of Sunland’s return to townhouse development – with a vast majority of the projects consisting of houses and townhouses.

The only high rise featured was a project on Marine Parade in Labrador, slated for launch in December of 2010.

In total, there are nine projects slated for launch in south-east Queensland in 2010, totalling 943 homes with a value over $510m.

Following last year’s purchase of a 17ha riverfront development site at Royal Pines, Sunland are beginning earthwork on their latest Gold Coast project.  The site is slated for a revamped marina and market precinct as well as apartments, townhouses and house sites.

A limited number of home sites have already been released and sold briskly, with further releases planned for early 2010.

After the purchase of just over $28m of riverfront and golf-front land at Royal Pines Resort in December, Sunland has commenced earthworks on the first residential stage of what it hopes will be seen as its next ‘flagship’ development on the Gold Coast.

The release is expected to include nine residential housing and three duplex blocks.  At this stage it will hit the market in July.

Progress is also being made on the redevelopment of a new masterplan for Royal Pines’ marina precinct.  At just under 17 hectares in size, the marina is expected to include restaurants, cafes, convenience shopping, a new gymnasium, and a fresh-food market, similar in concept to the Ferry Road Markets as well as up to 150 new residential properties.

While the master plan is still some months away, cashed-up developer Sunland are pressing forward with their vision for Royal Pines.

Since their purchase of the 19 hectare lot in 2008, the decision has been made to create an area aimed more at locals and owner-occupiers rather than foreign investors as has been the case in the past.

With around 200 homesites planned, it is believed that the new products will reflect growing market demand for affordable housing, with both land and house-and-land packages likely to be offered.  There is expected to be a range of new homes, including prestigious pavillion homes which will take advantage of the proxmity to both the Nerang River and the golf course.

Beyond the residential development, there will be a complete revamp of the existing marina, which will include the addition of a commercial, retail and restaurant precinct.

With Sunland selling off the remaning apartments in it’s Circle on Cavill and Avalon buildings, even with the Royal Pines redevelopment underway, it remains one of only a few large local developers actively looking for new sites.

Following the recent sub-prime crisis in the United States, financial giant Morgan Stanley is feeling the pinch, and has announced its intention to sell Royal Pines – including the 330-room Crowne Plaza hotel, 27 hole golf course (which is presently home to the Ladies Masters event) and residential division – which includes future development land.  The entire site encompasses around 200 hectares of land, including significant frontage on the Nerang River.

Morgan Stanley purchased the property only several years ago for just over $44 million and recently spent $16 million on refurbishment.  The property is expected to fetch somewhere between $60 and $80 million.  The company has indicated that they are not desperate sellers, but the decision to sell was heavily influenced by a recent $10 billion loss that the company incurred as a result of exposure to sub-prime mortgages.