PROJECT DOROTHY: Karratha out to fix homes crisis with a Wizard of Oz-inspired housing project

A Wizard of Oz-inspired housing project is gaining steam in Karratha, with the local council calling on builders and landowners to join forces to defeat the ‘wicked’ housing crisis. Dubbed Project Dorothy, a reference to the scene in which Dorothy drops a house on the Wicked Witch of the East, the City of Karratha hopes to see stakeholders click their steel caps together to solve the dire housing shortage in the region. “The City of Karratha’s housing crisis is a wicked problem, given its chronic, deleterious, and seeming insurmountable nature,” the March ordinary council meeting agenda said. “Dorothy dropped a house on a wicked thing. “We aspire to do the same by seeking expressions of interest from developers and builders to partner with the City of Karratha to address the current shortfall of housing stock.” As part of the project, the city will seek expressions of interest to build residential dwellings on development-ready lands it has aggregated. But the road to housing prosperity in Karratha is fraught with challenges. The notorious “Pilbara premium,” an estimated 60 per cent markup on construction costs compared to Perth, poses a significant barrier. Despite the high demand for housing, the cost of building often outweighs the potential returns. It’s led to “sweeteners” being included in the project, including discounted land, rates incentives, the facilitation of long-term leases and subsidies in the form of joint investment and project enablement grants. And it’s not just city-owned land the council has its sights set on. It is also inviting expressions of interest from other landowners about their undeveloped residential lands, with those interested asked to detail how the city could play a role in supporting the delivery of any new housing projects. Karratha currently has a 0.5 per cent rental vacancy rate.