Monarch building $24m, 38-home Marigold project in Taylor

Construction is under way on Marigold, a 38-townhouse project above a planned supermarket and shops in Gungahlin’s Taylor town centre, with completion anticipated mid-2027, Region Canberra reported on 28 October 2026. The project traces to a development application lodged by Giles Deakin Pty Ltd in September 2024 for Section 60, Block 1, an almost $24 million mixed-use proposal on Robin Boyd Crescent. Builder Monarch Building Solutions is now delivering the residential component, with Civium handling sales.

The DA described 38 two-storey homes, 25 three-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom, built over ground-floor retail that includes a supermarket, shops and cafes, plus a one-level basement with 97 parking spaces among 225 spaces planned across the site. Marigold’s current marketing, through agent Wayne Harriden, confirms the same 38-home split of 13 two-bedroom and 25 three-bedroom dwellings, matching the lodged application.

Why it matters

Taylor sits in Gungahlin, one of the ACT’s fastest-growing districts, and Marigold is a test of whether shop-top housing can work at town centre scale in an outer Canberra suburb, not only along light rail corridors closer to the city. For a builder scoping similar sites, it shows a 2024 mixed-use DA reaching active construction with an ACT and NSW builder and a dedicated sales agent.

The project also puts ground-floor retail, including a Coles supermarket, under the homes. That matters for buyers weighing walkable amenity against a mid-2027 settlement. Harriden said “construction is now well underway, with completion anticipated in mid-2027.”

The numbers

The development comprises 38 townhouses, 25 three-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom, an estimated $24 million project when the DA was lodged in September 2024 for Section 60, Block 1 in Taylor. The lodged design included a basement level with 97 car spaces and roughly 225 spaces in total across the site, plus a ground-floor supermarket, shops and cafes with a bus stop fronting Robin Boyd Crescent.

Region Canberra’s latest report lists the tenants planned for the ground floor. A Coles supermarket anchors the retail level. Alongside it are a medical centre, a pharmacy, a barber, an Indian grocer, a takeaway outlet and a cafe. That mix is built around daily needs rather than destination retail, which suits a suburban town centre.

For the residential side, the tenant list is the main selling point. Buyers in the 38 homes would sit directly above a full-line supermarket and a medical centre. Civium is the exclusive agent for the residential portion, so any sales release will come through Harriden’s team. Monarch Building Solutions works across the ACT and NSW as both developer and builder.

For other builders, the tenancy mix is worth noting. A national supermarket committed to the ground floor gives a shop-top scheme like this a stable anchor while the homes are sold.

What’s next

Monarch Building Solutions has not disclosed a sales release schedule or pricing for the 38 homes. Buyers should expect settlements to track the mid-2027 completion date Harriden gave. The project adds to a broader push for medium-density housing within established Canberra suburbs: the ACT Legislative Assembly this week passed the Planning (Missing Middle Housing) Amendment Bill, cutting assessment timeframes for smaller subdivision and dwelling applications, though Marigold’s own DA predates that reform. Neither Monarch nor Civium has published a strata levy estimate or confirmed whether the parking allocation changed after lodgement.