The Quiet Street Buyers Keep Overlooking, But Not for Much Longer

A rezoning proposal covering roughly 14 hectares along Doris Street and the land parcels stretching toward Knaith Road has been sitting before Maroondah City Council since March 2026, and local agents say the silence around it is deafening, in the best possible way for buyers who move early. The proposal, if adopted under the Victorian Government's Housing Statement framework, would reclassify the area from Neighbourhood Residential Zone to a General Residential designation, effectively tripling permitted dwelling density.

Why does this matter right now? Council is scheduled to table its formal response to submissions in the August 2026 ordinary meeting. That gives buyers a shrinking window, weeks, not months, to acquire land or established homes before the rezoning outcome is priced into listings. Property cycles around rezoning events are well-documented: in comparable mid-ring suburban corridors globally, land values have historically moved 15 to 25 percent in the 12 months following a zone change announcement.

What the Precinct Looks Like on the Ground

The area in question is not glamorous. Doris Street between its junction with Greenwood Avenue and the rear boundary of the Ringwood Lake precinct is a mix of 1970s brick veneer homes on 650- to 800-square-metre blocks, a scattering of older fibro cottages, and two vacant lots that have sat undeveloped for at least five years. The eastern boundary abuts the shared pedestrian path connecting Ringwood Station's Bus Interchange to the Eastland Town Centre carpark on Bond Street, foot traffic is constant and growing.

That pedestrian corridor matters commercially. Eastland, redeveloped in its current form following a major expansion completed in 2015, draws more than 14 million visits annually according to figures Vicinity Centres has cited in its investor materials. The Greenfield precinct is, at a brisk walk, nine minutes from Eastland's eastern entrance. Ringwood Station, the metropolitan rail hub connecting the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, is ten minutes on foot from the mid-point of Doris Street. Proximity to that kind of anchoring infrastructure is precisely what rezoning panels weight heavily in their assessments.

Maroondah City Council's own draft Housing Strategy, released for public comment in late 2025, identified the eastern corridor, which encompasses the Doris Street and Knaith Road parcels, as a priority growth precinct. The strategy document cited a need for an additional 4,200 dwellings across the municipality by 2036 to meet projected household formation rates. That target sits behind nearly every planning decision the council has made in the past 18 months.

The Numbers Buyers Should Know Before August

Median house prices in the broader Ringwood postcode, 3134, were sitting at approximately $985,000 in the March 2026 quarter, based on data published by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria. Within the Doris Street corridor specifically, three sales recorded between January and May 2026 fell in the $870,000 to $910,000 range, a noticeable discount to the suburb median that reflects the area's current NRZ constraints rather than any fundamental deficiency in the land itself. That discount evaporates fast once a GRZ classification is confirmed.

Developers have already noticed. Two separate planning permit applications were lodged with council in April and May 2026 for sites at the Knaith Road end of the corridor, both seeking approval for medium-density townhouse developments contingent on the rezoning outcome. The applications are on public record via the council's planning register.

For buyers weighing a move, the practical calculus is straightforward: purchase now at current NRZ-suppressed pricing, and the rezoning either confirms the uplift you've already banked or, in the unlikely event it stalls, leaves you holding a solidly located property within walking distance of a major retail and transport hub. Present your offer before the August council meeting. Request a title search and confirm the parcel falls within the rezoning study boundary, the council's planning department can confirm this in writing. And factor in the eighteen-month-old pedestrian infrastructure upgrade along Greenwood Avenue, which improved the station walk considerably and has not yet fully registered in comparable sales data for the corridor. That kind of lag is where patient buyers make their money.

This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.