‘Property market is responding’ to our rental housing crisis
It’s a housing bonanza.
Almost 360 residential units are either in the pipeline, or consented, in the Whakatipu, with an additional 29 residential lots in the works for Hanley’s Farm.
The most ambitious of the proposals comes from 5 Mile 226 Ltd, which has plans for 226 two-bedroom stand-alone residential units, at Frankton Flats’ Hall St.
It’s intended 126 of the units will be sold to the open market, with 100 remaining with Auckland developer Kurt Gibbons as long-term rentals.
Gibbons, a major player in the Auckland and Wellington residential and commercial property markets, snapped up about 2.3 hectares of land, split into two titled blocks, close to the Queenstown Central shopping centre, which was part of a larger land holding, owned by
Singapore-based GYP Properties.
Having completed the first stage of a consented 225-dwelling development — 56 four-level apartments comprising Remarkables Residences
— GYP flicked off the balance of the land via local Bayleys agent Mark Martin.
Gibbons, in a letter to Queenstown council’s planners, says he’s been working on a model for a long time, with the sole goal of providing warm, high-spec, well-constructed, affordable homes.
Hall St development could set NZ precedents
Provided the council’s planning department comes to the party, he says the majority will be liveable by this Christmas.
His resource and building consents are in, both of which he’s hoping to have issued within four weeks.
‘‘Based on those dates, we have our civil contractor ready to mobilise and get started May 3, 2024.’’
In a best-case scenario, construction will start on August 2, with the first 70 houses available for occupation by mid-October, and the
second tranche by Christmas.
Gibbons says each of the three stages of the housing development will take two months.
Because they’re pre-cut standalone, ‘‘this gives us the ability to allow smaller builders and subcontractors to work for us directly, yielding in more job opportunity and work for everyone’’, he says.
‘‘This also means we are not restricted to one large building company, and the high cost and risk of vertical construction.’’
Seeking a ‘‘senior team’’ on the application to ensure it’s processed at pace, Gibbons says they want to get on to earthworks before the weather becomes challenging.
Meeting a need: An example of the housing plans for Frankton Flats’ Hall St
‘‘We have a real opportunity to show New Zealand how council and developers can deliver great, quality housing in a quick timeframe.
‘‘We have had a couple of local businesses that have heard whispers of this development and have offered to take 10-year leases for their staff accommodation requirements.
‘‘It will be a popular stepping-stone for locals to get into the property market together with tenants alike, providing a wonderful place to
live and thrive.’’
An urban design assessment, from JCarter Planning Ltd, is supportive of the proposal, noting the existing housing supply in Queenstown, for
first-home buyers and renters, isn’t sufficient to support essential community service and tourism workers.
‘‘At the district level the proposal is providing for a gap in the housing market by bringing an alternative housing choice to Queenstown.
‘‘This is critical for the continued economic development of Queenstown to provide accommodation to workers and residents.’’
The assessment notes many workers are commuting from else where, like Cromwell, which is placing a significant strain on Queenstown’s roading network, and impacting their quality of life.
The other plans
Te Pā Tāhuna
Ngāi Tahu Property’s been given the green light for stage two of its Gorge Rd housing development.
Another 66 one- and two-bedroom units are on the way towards the rear of the former Wakatipu High School site, to be housed in three, three-storey buildings.
Two buildings will hold 18 units each, with the other holding 30, along with 49 carparks.
No.1 Hansen Rd Ltd
While waiting for its fast-tracked consent for a comprehensive worker accommodation development, No.1 Hansen Rd’s now asked Queenstown’s council for permission to pop another two levels on top of its almost-complete carpark building at Hansen Rd.
They want to construct 32 residential units — equating to 119 bedrooms — and common areas, aimed, initially, at workers constructing the primary worker accommodation complex.
Shotover Country
King Enterprises Limited Partnership wants to construct a 35-unit residential development on land bounded by Toni’s Terrace, Stalker
Rd and Stone Walls Tce.
The proposal’s a redesign of an earlier approved consent, to construct 24 residential units.
It’ll include a mixture of two-, three- and four-bedders, each with at least one off-street carpark.
Hanley’s Farm
The 13th stage of the RCL Henley Downs Ltd subdivision is on the cards, proposing 29 residential lots in an area known as ‘DP8’, comprising two land parcels separated by Woolshed Rd.
Subject to approval, it’d raise the total number of consented residential lots at Hanley’s Farm to 1628.
The proposed residential lot sizes range from 385 square metres to 1,520sqm, which will continue the existing Hanley’s Farm development pattern.
‘We’ll do our best with consenting’
Queenstown mayor Glyn Lewers, pictured, says the colossal number of residential units planned around the Whakatipu Basin is the market responding to our rental and affordable housing crises, and promises his council will ‘‘do our best with the consenting side’’.
‘‘But, obviously, there’s a certain level of compliance that’s needed.
‘‘The regulatory arm will do what they need to do to make sure we’re meeting our internal standards and the requirements of the
[Resource Management Act].’’
He notes, too, the Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile variation, seeking to rezone about 120 hectares of land to ultimately accommodate 2400 more residential units, has gone to commissioners and is expected to be sent to the Environment Minister for approval ‘‘in the next month’’.
While ‘‘things are actually happening’’ now, Lewers is mindful there are some capital constraints in terms of servicing some of the
proposed developments.
That particularly relates to Three Waters at Ladies Mile and in the southern corridor.
‘‘That’s probably going to require some large investment and we’re looking at ways of taking the burden off the ratepayer … trying to get
housing into the market sooner, but this council itself is facing some constraints with the pace at which we can deliver some of those enabling infrastructure works.’’
