Almost 360 residential units are either in the pipeline, or consented, in the Wakatipu, with an additional 29 residential lots in the works for Hanley’s Farm.
The most ambitious of the proposals came from 5 Mile 226 Ltd, which has plans for 226 two-bedroom stand-alone residential units, in Frankton Flats’ Hall St.
It intends to sell 126 of the units on the open market, 100 remaining with Auckland developer Kurt Gibbons as long-term rentals.
Mr 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 sold off the balance of the land.
Mr Gibbons, in a letter to the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s planners, said he had been working on a model for a long time, with the sole goal of providing warm, high-spec, well-constructed, affordable homes.
Provided the council’s planning department came to the party, the majority would be liveable by Christmas, he said.
His resource and building consents were in, both of which he hoped to have issued within four weeks.
"Based on those dates, we have our civil contractor ready to mobilise and get started on May 3, 2024."
In a best-case scenario, construction would start on August 2, with the first 70 houses available for occupation by mid-October, and the second tranche by Christmas.
Mr Gibbons said each of the three stages of the housing development would take two months.
Because they were 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 said.
"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 was processed at pace, they wanted to get on to earthworks before the weather became challenging, Mr Gibbons said.
"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."
An urban design assessment, from JCarter Planning Ltd, was supportive of the proposal, noting the existing housing supply in Queenstown was not sufficient to support essential community service and tourism workers.
"At the district level the proposal is providing for a gap in the housing market.
"This is critical for the continued economic development of Queenstown to provide accommodation to workers and residents."
The assessment noted many workers were commuting from elsewhere, such as Cromwell, which placed significant strain on Queenstown’s roading network, and impacted their quality of life.
The plans
Te Pa Tāhuna
Ngāi Tahu Property has received approval for stage 2 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 has now asked Queenstown’s council for permission to pop another two levels on top of its almost-complete carpark building in Hansen Rd. It wants 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 Ltd Partnership wants to construct a 35-unit residential development on land bounded by Toni’s Tce, Stalker Rd and Stone Walls Tce. The proposal is a redesign of an earlier approved consent, to construct 24 residential units. It will include a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom units, 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 would raise the total number of consented residential lots at Hanley’s Farm to 1628. The proposed residential lot sizes range from 385sq m to 1520sq m, which will continue the existing Hanley’s Farm development pattern.
