A major announcement about Forbury Park in St Kilda is not expected before June.
Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) corporate services general manager Liz Bishop said steady progress was being made towards the sale of the 12.2ha site.
"It is an involved process selling a site of this size and there are many major aspects to consider," she said.
An archaeological assessment is to be carried out to look into the site’s history.
It was jointly commissioned by HRNZ and the Forbury Park Trotting Club.
The two parties have been in negotiations in recent months about a planned sale of the property and how the proceeds from a sale might be used.
"We have consulted widely with those impacted by the sale, including local iwi, and we are satisfied everything is going to plan," Ms Bishop said.
By June, it will be more than a year since Dunedin architect Gary Todd outlined a vision for the Dunedin City Council about a potential use for the property.
Housing at Forbury Park could reinvigorate South Dunedin by providing affordable homes while helping the low-lying suburb adapt to climate change, he said in May last year.
Housing design in South Dunedin could be relocatable and resilient to all hazards, suspended above ground to counter sea-level rise and surface flooding, he told councillors.
Mr Todd referred the Otago Daily Times to HRNZ last week after he was told that it would manage any media requests about Forbury Park.
Ms Bishop described Mr Todd as an interested party.
"It would not be appropriate to discuss any possible purchasers, financial details, or development plans for the site, as nothing has been decided yet," she said.
"We expect progress to continue to be made, with an update expected in June."
HRNZ asked the public for feedback last year about what should happen to the park.
The organisation received more than 300 submissions, but has not disclosed publicly more information about the results.
In a letter written in April last year, Minister for the Environment David Parker commented favourably on the potential for a housing proposal.
"Something needs to be done for South Dunedin. The area needs a vision and a path forward and this project could be a catalyst to find a way forward for South Dunedin," Mr Parker said.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary said she remained optimistic a positive result would be achieved.
Forbury Park Trotting Club and Beaumont Racing Club are running a dual-code event at Wingatui today.
Related Stories
Comments
And where is the DCC in this? They seem to be the only one who is not talking in this article.
Recently they were claiming that the flooding in South Dunedin wan't due to lousy drain mantenance, but raising sea level that would mean that anybody who remained in South Dunedin after a certain date would sink hip-deep into the mud. The 'rising sea level making it impossible to hold on in South Dunedin ' storyline was vigorously peddled by the last Mayor and was backed up by copious 'evidence'.
Given this prior vehemence, I would expect for all of the sources of the above storyline to have submitted to HRNZ, and for the DCC to have told HRNZ formally that a residential consent/zoning would be exeedingly unlikely for this site given its irredeemable nature.
I they haven't, then they should be called upon to explain why not. Perhaps they could lay out the reasons for their change of viewpoint in an article on a similar scale to this one.
As a ratepayer who would be paying for relocating these relocatable buildings (yeah right), or for a fleet of gondolas to paddle around in our new bestilted 'Venice of the South', I think that I am entitled to at least that much.