By ANNA USHER

It sounds like a futuristic sales pitch, but it’s real: a 46-storey vertical city with a dog park on level 23 has been approved for Chatswood.

This week, the NSW Independent Planning Commission approved a high-rise apartment project at 410-416 Victoria Avenue, on a site measuring just 1,050sqm.

The approval lets Novus Management Pty Ltd demolish existing buildings, conduct bulk earthworks, and build a 260-apartment skyscraper above ground-floor retail.

Yet it’s not only the scale that has attracted attention; the distinctive way the project is being positioned has, too.

It’s presented as a mini-city, shifting daily life into the tower.

Architects FK call it a “vertical community,” with stacked lifestyle zones for living, working, and socialising inside.

A concierge lobby and parcel stations are on the ground floor, while the Wellness Level above features a pool, spa, gym, fitness areas, and an outdoor yoga terrace.

Then comes the feature that has the lower north shore doing a double-take.

Level 23 is earmarked for a sheltered, semi-enclosed dog park with views over Chatswood – described as a mix of grassed lawns and sand pits … part pet run, part resident hangout.

At the top, FK’s design includes a Sky Lounge and Work Club on level 43, with a lounge, dining, and dedicated workspace away from the apartments.

The approval followed significant public consultation, including 140 objections. Concerns were raised about built form, amenity, and views, as well as construction disruption (including the nearby markets), and the practical reality of servicing a tower in one of Sydney’s busiest pedestrian zones.

The Commission said the project aligns with the National Housing Accord’s push for new homes, highlighting build-to-rent’s role in providing long-term tenancies in accessible locations.

The approval comes amid a surge in development transforming Chatswood and redefining expectations for high-density living.

Looking back, apartment amenities could once be considered a pleasant extra.

Today, however, amenities themselves have become the main selling point.

Pools. Gyms. Work clubs. Sky lounges.

And now, there’s even a dog park halfway up the building.

Love it or loathe it, Chatswood’s message is clear: the future of living isn’t coming – it’s already here, and it’s taking the lift.