Billionaire Who Built 79,000 Homes Splits Opinion in Australia

Billionaire Harry Triguboff’s mark is unmistakable in the Sydney suburb of Pagewood. Where tobacco and car factories once stood, the 92-year-old is building one of Australia’s largest housing developments — row after row of tan, gray and white apartment towers and townhouses, punctuated by cafés, supermarkets and strips of green.

Meriton, his company, in September won approval for the latest stage of the A$3 billion ($1.9 billion), 16.5-hectare (40 acre), 3,000-apartment build. To critics, it’s a “monster ugly ghetto” threatening to overwhelm local services. For Triguboff, it’s all in a day’s work.