A total of 4000 sq m of the area under orchards has been set aside for an affordable housing area to be developed in accordance with design principles of Smart Growth's Housing Affordability Forum.
It joins an 8500 sq m block of Tauranga City Council-owned land in Papamoa's Opal Drive that could become the testing ground for the forum's pilot project to build a village-style development.
Mr Cooney indicated to Mr Smith that the rising costs of building a house meant it was extremely unlikely that the Western Bay council would be able to meet its objective of a quarter of the houses in the Special Housing Area being priced at under $350,000.
With Omokoroa's population planned to more than double to 12,000, the need to begin planning for a new high school was raised at today's meeting. Otherwise pupils driving to colleges in Tauranga or Katikati would worsen the growing peak-time congestion on SH2, with Mr Smith told it took 40 minutes for commuters to get to work in Tauranga and 20 minutes to reach Katikati.