There are quite a few apartment developments that have been proposed and developed either on or around King Street, on the north side of the market. I'll be putting up a post about each of them, starting with Vansan House.
Vansan House at 38 King Street has 14 apartments and is 4 storeys high. It came onto the market at least 4 years ago (according to a Google search) and I believe sold out reasonably quickly at the time, however much like Vansan Central, it did not start construction until some time later. Construction was completed just a few months ago. According to Old Listings, the apartments were being listed in the range of $300,000 - $350,000, which is roughly typical of the new apartment market here. Houses (or should I say land) in the same street typically sell for double that amount, almost certainly because of the proven development potential in the street.
I've oscillated a little in my opinion of this development in terms of its external aesthetics. While I've always liked the appearance of the front (aside from the plumbing and cabling — why is this on the outside?), I thought the sides were quite bland. This is important (for the time being) as they're very noticeable from the street. However, with time I've warmed to them, and think they look simple and clean, if not spectacular. Given these sides are likely to be hidden away by new buildings eventually, I think that's quite a good outcome.
Though not said in so many words, Vansan House made the local news (second picture) as an example of inappropriate development in a residential area. Of course. I don't believe it's inappropriate at all, but the juxtaposition between the new, taller building and the older single storey home might frighten some. It's important to remember that central Dandenong would never have developed at all had the single storey housing in the area been retained. Perhaps many would have preferred it that way, but I think a lot that was worthwhile would never have been if the city hadn't been allowed to grow.