Strategic Development Advisory

Unlocking
constrained
development value.

We help clients make better development decisions before significant commitments are made.

Through disciplined strategic thinking, we identify, shape and strengthen commercially resilient housing, mixed-use and urban development opportunities from emerging ideas through planning, partnerships and delivery.

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The Challenge

Development opportunities rarely fail because of a single issue. They lose momentum when commercial, planning, infrastructure and delivery decisions fall out of alignment. By the time those issues emerge, they are often more complex and more expensive to resolve.

The right decisions are rarely obvious. They become clearer when the right questions are asked early.

How We
Create Value

We work alongside clients and project teams to identify, shape and deliver commercially resilient development opportunities. By bringing together commercial thinking, planning, infrastructure and delivery considerations early, we create the clarity and alignment needed for confident decision-making.

Where We Become Involved

Strategic thinking creates the greatest value before significant commitments are made. While we work across the full development lifecycle, our greatest impact is often achieved by helping shape commercial, planning and delivery decisions before pathways become fixed.

ACQUISITION FEASIBILITY PLANNING ALIGNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE & SEQUENCING DESIGN & APPROVAL DELIVERY OPERATIONS / EXIT VALUE OPPORTUNITY ABILITY TO INFLUENCE OUTCOMES TRADITIONAL INVOLVEMENT Value opportunity peaks early Influence declines over time Traditional involvement increases later
01

Origination Strategy

Clarifying development potential through disciplined feasibility assessment and infrastructure-aware positioning. From early acquisition assessments to sites already within an existing pipeline, we help define what a site can genuinely deliver before capital is committed.

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02

Acquisition & Investment Readiness

Strengthening the investment case through structured due diligence and feasibility validation. We prepare projects for acquisition or capital partnership by ensuring the fundamentals of the opportunity are clear and well understood, enabling confident investment decisions.

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03

Planning & Infrastructure Alignment

Navigating complex planning reform, rezoning and authority negotiation environments. We translate planning and infrastructure constraints into clear strategic pathways toward approval.

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04

Delivery & Governance

Embedding institutional-grade procurement, risk management and reporting frameworks. We bring the structure and oversight typically found in tier-one development environments to project governance and delivery.

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Government Advisory

Accelerating viable
housing delivery.

Once Was Co. supports government departments and agencies by providing commercially grounded development insight across origination, feasibility and infrastructure sequencing.

We work alongside government teams during the most commercially sensitive phases of development - shaping development opportunities, preparing sites for market and structuring delivery pathways that enable effective partnerships with private developers.

Effective housing supply requires both policy intent and commercial realism. Once Was Co. operates at the intersection of both.

  • Early-stage feasibility testing of policy ambition
  • Infrastructure prioritisation frameworks
  • Viability assessment for density uplift
  • Development facilitation alignment
  • Public–private interface clarity
Development project - Once Was Co.
Aerial development overview
Our Approach

Turning complex development
challenges into viable pathways forward.

Development opportunities rarely fail due to lack of vision. More often, progress depends on aligning feasibility, infrastructure capacity and planning pathways so that a project can move forward with confidence.

Once Was Co. focuses on these critical moments in the development lifecycle - when the true potential of a site is still being shaped and strategic decisions determine whether an opportunity progresses. We work alongside development teams and government partners to clarify development potential, test feasibility assumptions and structure practical pathways to market.

Our approach is grounded in real-world development experience and a strong problem-solving mindset. Where complexity or competing constraints arise, we focus on identifying practical, commercially viable pathways that allow projects to move forward. The result is strategically grounded advice that helps unlock development potential and move opportunities toward delivery.

Faten Sadik - Once Was Co.
About

Faten Sadik

Development Director & Principal Advisor
20+ Years Experience
$3B+ Developments Directed
Tier 1 Institutional Background

Faten Sadik is a Development Director with over 20 years' experience across masterplanned communities, apartment-led mixed-use, urban renewal and retirement living projects.

She has directed more than $3 billion in completed developments and led projects from origination and rezoning through to construction completion and operational performance. Her experience spans tier-one institutional development environments, where disciplined feasibility, governance and policy alignment are critical to investment certainty.

Faten recognises that large-scale development is delivered through strong, aligned teams. Her leadership approach focuses on clarity, accountability and collaborative progression toward commercially disciplined outcomes.

Once Was Co. was founded on the principle that many development opportunities stall not due to lack of vision, but due to complexity, misalignment or timing. Our role is to reposition what once was into commercially viable, future-focused outcomes through disciplined strategy and execution.

Let's Connect

Selected
experience.

All projects delivered within prior institutional development leadership roles, in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, capital partners, consultants and contractors.

Melbourne Apartment Acquisition
Apartment-Led Mixed Use  |  Melbourne

Major Acquisition & Strategic Repositioning

First major Melbourne apartment acquisition  |  ~5× improvement in forecast margin
  • Directed origination, design and finance functions through acquisition phase
  • Defined project vision, commercial positioning and partner alignment to secure investment approval
  • Secured government alignment within a precedent-sensitive planning context
  • Repositioned a legacy underperforming project - delivering a ~5x improvement in forecast margin
Demonstrates strong leadership during acquisition and early development stages, with a focus on responsible capital deployment and unlocking value in constrained urban markets.
Masterplanned Community
Masterplanned Community

Greenfield Community - Multi-Stage

$1.5B  |  4,300+ Dwellings  |  Integrated Amenity & Infrastructure
  • Structured multi-stage feasibility and capital sequencing strategy across a long-horizon greenfield community
  • Negotiated infrastructure delivery pathways and authority alignment
  • Managed JV governance, executive reporting and commercial oversight
  • Directed multidisciplinary development, design and delivery teams
Delivered disciplined commercial control across multi-year planning, staging and infrastructure coordination.
Brisbane Showgrounds
Urban Renewal Precinct  |  Brisbane Showgrounds

The Yards - Precinct Delivery

$215M  |  401 Apartments  |  Part of $2B Regeneration
  • Led feasibility, programme strategy and delivery risk control
  • Coordinated retail integration and precinct interface planning
  • Managed JV alignment, authority engagement and procurement sequencing
  • Maintained commercial discipline within a complex stakeholder ecosystem
Operated effectively within layered governance and regeneration-scale coordination.
Toorak Park
High-Density Residential  |  Toorak Park

Rail-Adjacent Integrated Development

$471M  |  Apartments & Townhouses  |  Rail-Constrained Precinct
  • Managed design and construct contract risk and programme exposure
  • Negotiated transport authority interfaces and boundary constraints (PTV, VicTrack, Metro)
  • Protected settlement risk and delivery viability
  • Preserved commercial outcomes under high external dependency
Demonstrates delivery-stage risk control in complex infrastructure-adjacent conditions.
Retirement Living Portfolio
Retirement Living Portfolio  |  QLD & NSW

Multi-Stage Retirement Communities

480+ Dwellings  |  Multi-Stage Development
  • Structured feasibility modelling and staged capital deployment
  • Directed concept, design and procurement strategy
  • Integrated operations and sales alignment into development sequencing
  • Improved lifecycle performance and resale margin outcomes
Demonstrates cross-sector capability and long-term asset performance optimisation.
The Opportunity Lens

Every opportunity deserves a broader perspective.

Every opportunity is different. The Opportunity Lens helps structure early conversations, challenge assumptions and identify commercially resilient pathways before decisions become fixed.

OPPORTUNITY LENS A holistic view to shape better outcomes Context Changing market, policy and place dynamics. Future Role The role this opportunity could play. Alignment Capability, partnerships and infrastructure. Commercial Viability Long-term commercial resilience. Pathway The most credible path to delivery.
Rethinking Existing Assets

The future value of an asset is rarely defined by its current use.

Existing assets often hold greater long-term value than their current use suggests.

This framework helps explore how changing markets, infrastructure and policy can reshape their future role.

Urban Context & Market Dynamics Demographics, infrastructure, policy, technology, lifestyle change Strategic Optionality Timing, sequencing, capital discipline and stakeholder alignment Operational Strength Protect current performance. Integration Opportunities Respond to changing markets and place. Future Urban Value Unlock future roles and long-term value.
Contact

Strategic conversations
begin early.

Every opportunity is different. An initial conversation helps clarify the opportunity, the decisions ahead and whether Once Was Co. is the right fit to support your project.

Typical conversations include
Contact Us
Email
[email protected]
LinkedIn
Faten Sadik

Better development decisions begin with the right conversation.

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