General News
8 April, 2026
Best of both worlds in new housing model
MAREEBA could become the first Far North Queensland shire to have an “Agrihood” – a new twist in residential development which blends homes and farming into a sustainable community.
Arkadian Developments founder Steve Grist confirmed a contract for a 250-acre property on Tinaroo Creek Road, opposite the old TAFE, was now unconditional and was the first step in bringing the “Emerald Waters” concept to fruition.
“We have a masterplan residential development which integrates agriculture into the actual design, hence ‘Agrihood’,” Mr Grist said.
“It’s a typology that’s become quite popular in the United States – there’s over 200 agrihoods there and plenty more in the design stage, and it’s also growing in Canada.”
Mr Grist said he had spent last year visiting eight different agrihoods in the US to compare “the mechanics” of how they operated.
He said Mareeba was considered ideal to support such a plan, with its strong agricultural and tourism drawcards.
“We’ve had a number of discussions with (Mareeba Shire Council) over the last couple of years, and they encouraged us to hold community consultations,” Mr Grist said.
“We will be at the next two Mareeba markets, and then we’ll be organising an evening drop-in session from 5pm-7pm at the Jackaroo Motel on 30 April.
“There’s obviously a lot of moving parts to it, as this thing progresses. We are tightening up what the model’s going to look like and getting community feedback.”
The proposal, called “Emerald Waters”, already has its own website providing an overview of the plan and regular updates on the development as work begins on drafting a detailed development application to go to council.
It also has a public survey that asks respondents to provide their views on how the agrihood would operate, from low-to-ground lighting at night, a “dark sky policy”, to dog-friendly areas and cat-owner restrictions or gated access.
“There’s a lot to consider, and we know there will always be some who won’t support the idea, but that’s what the survey is for, to really see what people support.”
Mr Grist said the agrihood was aimed for anyone wanting to live outside suburbia – farmers wanting to retire but stay connected to the land, young people wanting a cheaper alternative to large property ownership, and those wanting to downsize but who want something different to a retirement village.
“We’re basically creating a new precinct, a new village,” Mr Grist said. “With parks and gardens, walking tracks, a farming interface, and community spaces.
“We’ll have five-acre lots, 1-acre lots, 1000 sqm lots, 500 sqm lots, down to townhouses. It will be standard freehold titles.”
The plan has also added an option for a retirement village, and talks have been underway to partner with a local provider.
“There’s clearly a shortage in this area, so we’re working to incorporate a facility.”
The precinct principles, as outlined on the website, are to create a “carefully planned community (that) can support housing diversity, food production, environmental stewardship, and long-term regional resilience, while remaining appropriate to the local climate, landscape, and planning context”.
Mr Grist said the precinct would have a body corporate and a clear governance framework to manage shared assets such as common land and open space, onsite water and wastewater infrastructure, agricultural areas and community facilities.
One of the closest examples of the proposal in Australia was the multi-award-winning Witchcliffe Ecovillage, in Margaret River, Western Australia. A look at its website reveals a lush, self-sustainable village which had won 19 awards for its design and function.
Mr Grist said he had modelled the style and look of the Mareeba proposal on Witchcliffe, and incorporated shared principles such as sustainability, community connection, and environmental care, but Emerald Waters would be an agrihood, not an ecovillage.
This agrihood would operate within established planning, ownership, and governance frameworks typical of residential developments in Queensland.
Another key difference was the retention and active management of agricultural land, supported by regenerative land management principles, productive growing areas, open space and landscape corridors, and opportunities for community participation.
The agricultural component would take up about 20% of the property. It would complement, not dominate, the residential function of the development.
“When we’re talking about integrated farming operations, there’s not going to be large tractors making huge noise, it’s not going to have big spray units. It’s all organic, regenerative production,” Mr Grist said.
He said the land was “marginal” agricultural and had been used for hay production for many years and cane before that.
Options for using the land would be food-based, such as orcharding and crops, and the economic output to land use, plus regeneration farming, would only improve the property.
Another important point was that the development was backed by a team of Cairns and local experts across design, architecture, ecology, agriculture and retirement fields and the whole development was being generated within Australia, Mr Grist said.
To answer the survey, go to https://emeraldwaters.au/
