The site where Bella Vista Homes were built at The Lakes has reached a conditional agreement. Photo / File
The site where Bella Vista Homes were built at The Lakes has reached a conditional agreement. Photo / File
"Obviously we'll put retaining walls up first."
That is the first order of business for Classic Builders director Peter Cooney who has won the tender to build about 22 properties on the site of the former Bella Vista subdivision.
Tauranga City Council announced yesterday that a conditional agreement for thesale of the land associated with the subdivision had been reached.
The council evacuated 21 houses and building sites at the failed Bella Vista Homes development because of safety concerns in March 2018.
One was an unretained slope near the homes that was said to be at risk of falling.
"I believe we can start from scratch. We have the skill set in property and housing development."
He said the shortage of land that Tauranga was facing was "part of the incentive" to snap up the land in the attractive suburb of The Lakes.
Classic Builders was the largest residential builder in the Bay of Plenty and has been building homes at The Lakes since the development's inception.
The site where Bella Vista Homes were built at The Lakes has reached a conditional agreement. Photo / File
The plan was to build about 22 houses on the site but no housing designs had been finalised yet, he said. He could not speculate on what the price range would be.
He said he would treat it like any other small subdivision, which his company had extensive experience in developing.
The tender process had been under way for months and they planned to start work the moment the conditional sale agreement went through, he said.
He hoped to have the subdivision finished within 12 to 15 months.
He said the site was "challenging" but it was "nothing we haven't done before".
It would be simple to get going with engineer-designed walls that were done properly, he said.
The subdivision's 22 properties had been sold as one package to make it easier for the buyer to build a retaining wall through the site.
The previous Bella Vista homes in the Lakes subdivision. Photo / File
Cooney said finding good land in a subdivision as successful as The Lakes was no easy feat and they were pleased that the tender had swung their way.
The sale price would remain commercially sensitive and confidential until the agreement goes unconditional early next year.
The council's general manager of strategy and growth, Christine Jones, said it was "satisfying" to know that a "reputable local employer will develop these properties to provide housing for our city".
