Expressions of interest are being sought for a three-storey beachside apartment block, worth up to $7 million, at St Clair's Esplanade in Dunedin.
The proposed development on the 0.037ha site has basement car parking and a small commercial retail area, then three storeys containing six apartments. Apartments will be offered for sale ''off the plan''.
This is the second apartment-commercial complex announced for St Clair in recent months. Local restaurant owner Murray Macarthy plans a more-than-$2 million two-storey development around the corner in Forbury Rd, on land that has been bare for about 12 years.
Former Dunedin couple Rebecca Tohill and Grant Henderson, co-directors of St Clair Esplanade Ltd in Wellington, are seeking ''expressions of interest'' for their Esplanade development, the site of which is occupied by a single-storey brick dwelling, flanked by restaurants Neptuno and the Esplanade.
CRT Real Estate real estate saleswoman Elizabeth McKewen said when contacted that interested parties would have to sign a confidentiality agreement to see the initial designs, then work out final design and construction costs, before an apartment was ''sold off the plan''.
She had fielded several calls about the development.
Ms McKewen expected six apartments would be incorporated in the project, possibly ranging in price from $650,000 to more than $1 million for each of two penthouses. Preliminary estimates were the entire building could have a construction cost ranging from $5.5 million to $7 million.
The building was designed by Herriot and Melhuish Architecture, with two and three-bedroom options, but final details would be worked out with individual buyers.
She emphasised the proposal was ''still at the early stages'', and there was no time- frame for construction to begin, or to be completed.
It appears from the artist's impression the building is designed to fit within the maximum 11m zoning height of the Esplanade area. No applications for building consent had been lodged with the Dunedin City Council.
The appearance of sink holes in the walkway at the northern end of the Esplanade in recent months has alarmed local businesses and residents.
Ms McKewen understood sink-hole problems at St Clair at various times dated back almost 100 years, and she was confident the council was working towards a successful outcome.
Both Neptuno and the Esplanade restaurants are undergoing some refurbishment. Since March, the Esplanade has been gutted, taken back to brick walls. It is expected to reopen within a few weeks.
