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The City of Gold Coast has launched an expression of interest (EOI) process seeking development partners to deliver the Miami Arts Depot, a creative industries precinct planned for a 35,000sqm former council depot site in the beachside suburb of Miami.
The EOI is looking for proposals from developers to transform the site, which is just 1km from the beachfront, into a mixed-use hub spanning screen production, technology, gaming, visual effects, residential, retail and community uses.
The project is a collaboration between the city and Bazmark, the production company of filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin, who already hold a lease on an existing building at the site.
Bazmark's involvement is intended to anchor the precinct's creative credentials and attract further screen and digital media tenants.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate sys the EOI represents a major milestone for one of the city’s most significant urban renewal projects.
“We are now inviting the market to help shape a project that has the potential to redefine the way we develop and foster creative industries in Australia,” says Tate.
“Miami Arts Depot (MAD) is about much more than buildings. It is about creating a place where ideas, technology, talent and community come together in a uniquely Gold Coast way.
“We are looking for partners with the capability, creativity and ambition to help deliver a precinct that drive jobs, investment and long-term economic growth while also creating an exciting destination for residents and visitors.
“The project will build on the Gold Coast’s internationally recognised screen production sector and growing digital and creative economy which is underpinned by a strong education pipeline, ensuring local talent can grow, stay and thrive as the sector continues to expand.’
In addition to becoming anchor tenant at MAD, Bazmark has been engaged by the City of Gold Coast as the project’s creative and visionary partner.
Luhrmann says the project presents a unique opportunity to establish a global production hub grounded in local identity and culture.
“MAD is nestled within the vibrant Miami area and sits alongside Pizzey Park, where any person of any age and background can access any form of sport. That's exactly what MAD is, for creativity,” he says.
“It will be a facility where the conception and development of ideas across film, technology and various arts disciplines can flourish."
Luhrmann says through state-of-the-art post-production facilities, MAD will also become a "world-class destination for film productions to do their finishing work, adding a very valuable piece of the industry's economy that we have been largely missing from our city".
“Like an aquarium, where every kind of fish swims together to create a truly unique environment, the creative potential of MAD goes hand-in-hand with its role as a community hive," he says.
“As the community flows through new public spaces, cafés and shops, they also can discover new opportunities in arts and tech and actively participate in the growth of the creative industries on the Gold Coast.
“This precinct will not just be unprecedented in Australia, but unprecedented in the world.”
Miami Arts Depot is aimed at capitalising on the Gold Coast's growing film and screen production sector which contributed $571.6 million to the local economy in 2023, supporting 4,832 jobs, according to council figures.
The project is forecast to generate $130 million a year in economic activity while supporting 1,000 new jobs, particularly in digital creativity and technology.
Invest Gold Coast chair Will Hodgman says the EOI will test market appetite and identify a partner capable of delivering a world-class mixed-use precinct with strong creative industry credentials.
“This is a rare opportunity to participate in a city-shaping project on one of the Gold Coast’s most strategically located beachside urban renewal sites,” he says.
“We are seeking development partners who understand how architecture, culture, technology and community can come together to create something truly enduring and successful with strong commercial outcomes.”
Australia's production incentive structure is a key part of the pitch to potential partners, with Queensland offering a 30 per cent Producer Offset rebate at the federal level plus an additional 15 per cent Post, Digital and Visual Effects rebate at the state level.
The EOI comes as the Gold Coast positions itself as a global screen production hub on multiple fronts.
The city was named a finalist in the Global Production Awards' City of Film category for 2026, competing against established production centres worldwide.
Separately, Shadowbox Studios has been selected as the preferred proponent for a major studio complex on an 85-hectare site at Yatala on the northern Gold Coast.
That facility is expected to generate 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $195 million annually to the economy once both phases are operational.
The dual developments signal a concerted push by the City of Gold Coast to establish the region as Australia's pre-eminent screen production corridor, with the Miami Arts Depot targeting the creative, digital and post-production end of the pipeline and the Yatala complex focused on large-scale sound stage capacity.
Expressions of interest for the Miami Arts Depot are being managed through Invest Gold Coast, with submissions closing on 31 July.
Shortlisted proponents will progress through a detailed market process before a preferred development partner is selected in mid-2027.
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