SIZE:
From 57sq m through to 89sq m (excluding balcony/courtyard). All have balconies or courtyard areas from 9sq m to 98sq m.
ON OFFER:
239 apartments over four levels in five buildings. The first release will have 82 apartments with one bedroom with one bathroom; two bedrooms with one bathroom, and two bedrooms with two bathrooms. Three bedroom apartments will be released at a later stage. There is a communal pocket park with a barbecue area. Close to Onehunga Mall, Dress-Smart Outlet Centre, and the Onehunga train station. Also handy to the newly-redeveloped Onehunga Foreshore and One Tree Hill.
PRICE INDICATION:
From $545,000 to $1.05 million with car parking included.
INSPECT:
Display suite at 11 Spring St, Onehunga from 1 November.
For years Onehunga was one of Auckland's best kept secrets. Then people began to pay attention to the fact that it's just 10km from the city centre, is close to motorways and rail links, has excellent shopping, lovely old heritage buildings and a great sense of community -- all ofwhich make it an appealing place to live.
Now it frequently features on lists of "hottest suburbs" and there's an increasing demand for quality homes there, for everyone from first-time buyers through to downsizers.
Developers Tim and Andrew Lamont, from Lamont and Co, are hoping this project will cater for home buyers enticed by all Onehunga has to offer. Fabric of Onehunga is a new neighbourhood being built on 1.3ha of former industrial land between Victoria and Spring Streets. There will be five separate buildings with 239 apartments in total, around 600m from Onehunga Mall and the train station.
It's a great site, not only because it's within walking distance of great shops, cafes, parks and public transport, but also because it is not smack bang in the middle of an industrial area.
"To the north is all residential, so you will feel a part of that wider neighbourhood," says Andrew. "Onehunga is one of Auckland's oldest suburbs and has got such a strong community feeling. People who live here are very loyal -- they don't seem to want to move out of the area."
That's no surprise considering plans for extensive regeneration -- the foreshore has already undergone a major upgrade and Auckland Council is keen to revamp Onehunga Wharf along the lines of Wynyard Quarter. So the team behind Fabric have been careful to make sure the development will feel like a part of that regeneration.
They chose to build five separate four-storey buildings with an underground car park to optimise above-ground living space. The buildings are centred on a pocket park which will be the social heart of the complex. It will provide space to enjoy the sunshine and kick a ball, and there will also be a barbecue area.
Image 1 of 5: Developers are creating a cool new neighbourhood in the "hot" suburb of Onehunga.
Landscaper Stuart Houghton from Boffa Miskell has planned the outdoor spaces to be useful as well as look good.
"As well as the pocket park, there are substantial green areas between the buildings, with communal herb and vege gardens and fruit trees," he says.
Architect Clifford Paul of Ashton Mitchell wanted the apartments to acknowledge the industrial history of the site, so the main materials will be steel, concrete and glass with timber in certain areas for warmth.
Saw-tooth roofs will provide a focal point and each building will have black-seam metal cladding.
"The environment doesn't need a slick, city-centre type building," says Clifford. "We wanted to create something appropriate for the surroundings."
The apartments will be connected via shared glazed atriums and elevated pedestrian walkways, rather than enclosed corridors.
"These will feel light and open," says Tim. "There will be bridges from the walkways to each apartment, giving them a sense of separation from the public areas."
The one, two and three-bedroom apartments have been designed so the living areas and bedrooms face outwards to balconies or courtyards. The layouts include generous open plan living spaces, stylish contemporary kitchens and bathrooms, and clever storage options.
Those with two and three bedrooms can be adapted so bedrooms can be used as second living areas.
A choice will be available between light neutral or dark industrial colour palettes.
The first of two stages are expected to be completed by mid 2019, and Andrew and Tim have high hopes that Fabric will quickly become a valued part of the local community.
"Part of the reason we gave it that name is because we want it to become part of the fabric of Onehunga," says Tim. "We think it is going to be a great place to live."
