New home builds to reach 2100

Two new Special Housing Areas were approved by the Tauranga City Council yesterday, including Sunshine Paradise on the corner of Papamoa Beach Rd and Domain Rd.

An extra 216 houses have been added to the growing number of developments in the Western Bay of Plenty being fast-tracked under special Government laws.

Two new Special Housing Areas were approved by the Tauranga City Council yesterday including Sunshine Paradise on the corner of Papamoa Beach Rd and Domain Rd.

Once approved by Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith, it will bring the number of new houses being built under Housing Accords legislation in the Western Bay to about 2100.

The biggest development approved as a Special Housing Area by the council yesterday was for a 180-site development off the end of Adler Drive, Ohauiti.

However, the highest profile development will be Sunshine Paradise, transforming a prime block of land that has sat vacant for years. It will feature a four-storey block holding 24 apartments, 12 townhouses and 1675sq m of groundfloor shops and first-floor offices.

Percy Rd residents opposed Sunshine Paradise because of the scale of the development and the impact that traffic from the apartments and townhouses would have on their street.

Councillors were assured by transport manager Martin Parkes that safety improvements at the intersection of Domain Rd and Percy Rd meant there would be no concerns about the increase in traffic volumes. It would include a right-turn bay traffic island at the intersection and a pedestrian refuge.

"There are a number of measures we can take to improve safety."

Adler Estate residents also had safety concerns about adding another 360 vehicles to Adler Drive, or up to 1800 extra vehicle movements a day once construction was in full swing. They were concerned for their children stepping out from behind parked cars, plus adding to the dangers caused by poor visibility at the intersection of Adler Drive and Ohauiti Rd.

Mr Parkes said Adler Drive had been designed as a collector road and was wide enough to comfortably accommodate 500 to 1000 vehicles a day.

Selecting the farmland off the end of Adler Drive as a Special Housing Area meant the developer would not have to go through lengthy re-zoning processes for the rural-zoned portion of the block earmarked for 80 house sites. The rest of the 21 hectare site was zoned residential.