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Special Housing Area proposed for Wanaka

Published: Wed 21 Feb 2018 04:21 PM
Special Housing Area proposed for Wanaka
Wanaka’s first development proposed under the government’s Special Housing Area (SHA) legislation enacted in 2013 would see 281 mixed-style dwellings built in the Wanaka South area.
Bright Sky has master-planned the subdivision which is just a 15-20 minute walk to Wanaka’s current town centre and even closer to 3Parks commercial/retail development.
Eight different styles of dwellings are proposed, from one-bedroom apartments to 220m2 family homes – all on compact sections of 500 square metres or less.
Pricing will be very competitive with a substantial number of ‘affordable’ house and land packages, through to million dollar plus properties. With well thought out master-planning by Christchurch Architects CoLab Architecture, all homes will be pre-designed to maximise the views, create efficiency of design and preserve privacy.
In line with other SHA developments in Queenstown, Bright Sky will also invest in the local community by gifting 10 percent of the developable land to the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust. This meets the affordable housing requirements of the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s current ‘Lead Policy’, which in turn is a requirement of the Queenstown Lakes District Housing Accord agreed to in 2014 by Council and central Government.
The Bright Sky proposal is currently being considered by Queenstown Lakes District Council, which has today asked for public feedback (see http://www.qldc.govt.nz/your-council/your-views/proposed-bright-sky-special-housing-area/).
Directors behind the proposed subdivision include established Wanaka locals ¬– Grant Bisset, John Gilks, Paul Miller and experienced group home-builder David Reid, who will facilitate and manage the construction of the development.
Chairman of the Board and former Queenstown Airport chairman, John Gilks, says that while initial concepts to develop the land were drafted last year, it was the announcement in June that SHA provisions would extend to Wanaka by then Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith, which saw the proposal fully developed.
“This land has sat within Wanaka’s Urban Growth Boundary since 2007 but the reality is getting this land to a point where it can be used to help alleviate the affordable housing shortage without the SHA provisions, could take some time.
“So the SHA legislation is definitely doing what it set out to do – remove delays, complexity and risk for developers, which in turn means we can deliver more affordable homes, rapidly increase the housing supply and ring-fence sufficient funding to create a high quality, fully master-planned new subdivision.
“Bright Sky will bring much needed diversity to our community’s housing stock while being a high quality development. We’re able to guarantee this by constructing the homes ourselves and ensuring all dwellings are designed architecturally with the Wanaka aesthetic very firmly in mind.
“We are keen to work with the community to deliver a legacy project that our town so urgently needs, however we still need to analyse and study the full merits of the project before we commit.
“It is very important to the directors that what is built on this land is worthy for our community.”
#ENDS

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