The board has resiled from an earlier resolution to fence the reserve along its boundary, which had incensed three Lakeview Tce property owners who have long enjoyed easy access to the reserve.
During yesterday's meeting, two property owners accused council property manager Joanne Conroy of penning a "seriously flawed" report on reserve access issues and failing to consult them.
Mrs Conroy defended her work, saying she only wanted the best outcome for the community and for the same rule to apply to all reserve neighbours.
Mrs Conroy works for APL Property Queenstown Ltd, which holds the Queenstown Lakes District Council property management contract.
Some grass on the reserve was damaged last year by contractors' vehicles during construction at Ron and Christine Sasses' property.
The board resolved last June to build fences along the reserve boundary and restrict gate widths to no wider than a dinghy.
The fences were not built, because board chairman Lyal Cocks tried to reach an alternative resolution with the Sasse, Hughes and Gale families, who opposed the loss of access.
A landscaping and reserve reinstatement plan was also sought from the Sasse family.
Mrs Conroy asked the Wanaka Community Board to consider whether it wanted to accept the Sasses' landscaping plan, fence the boundary in the face of opposition or approve her recommended alternative to do additional landscaping and use strategically placed rocks to prevent vehicle access.
She understood the Sasse and Hughes families still wanted occasional vehicle access - for firewood delivery, for instance.
She had been waiting for their landscaping plan and was surprised the work was done before she saw the plan.
"It looks very nice.
"It is not what [we] anticipated, but it has happened."
Mr and Mrs Sasse, of Invercargill, and Dennis Hughes, of Dunedin, criticised Mrs Conroy's recollection of meetings and her recommendation to use rocks.
Mr Sasse's family has owned lakeside property at Lake Hawea for more than 50 years and Mr Sasse said he had "never asked for, nor would I expect, to be granted vehicle access".
Rocks would be an eyesore, an unnecessary cost on ratepayers and dangerous for children on bikes.
Mrs Conroy had failed to acknowledged the work he did to reinstate the reserve last year and that he had given personal undertakings to Wanaka Community Board chairman Lyal Cocks to stop vehicle access, Mr Sasse said.
Mr Hughes' family has owned Lakeside Tce property for more than 40 years.
It "rankled" that the council had not consulted him earlier.
Mrs Conroy agreed the Sasse and Hughes families had stopped encroaching on the reserve.
However, she said the Gale household and other neighbours were still using it for vehicle access.
The majority of the board passed an amended version of Mrs Conroy's recommendation. The fencing resolution was revoked and Mr Sasse's completed landscaping was approved.
Reserve neighbours will also receive a letter from the council advising them of its expectations on reserve use.
Access will be reviewed in a year.
