Industrial Land Shortage Fuels Interest In Key Westgate Development Site

A substantial development site in a key Auckland growth hub is expected to attract strong interest from buyers, tenants and owner-occupiers as the city faces a chronic shortage of industrial land.

Expressions of interest have been invited for the vacant site at 81 Fred Taylor Drive, Westgate, which offers flexible options for buyers or tenants.

The nearly four-hectare site has been subdivided into two roughly equal sized plots which have been tipped for a wide range of potential activities and industrial and commercial users.

The property at 81 Fred Taylor Drive is now being marketed for expressions of interest by 18 March through Bayleys Auckland Central and Bayleys Northwest.

Salespeople Stuart Bode and Beterly Pan said the property consisted of approximately 3.96 hectares of vacant land located within the rapidly-expanding Westgate town centre.

Mr Bode said the owner had recently received consent to subdivide the site into two lots.

“The first lot, of some 2.02 hectares, offers high-profile frontage to busy Fred Taylor Drive. The owner is seeking expressions of interest primarily from potential tenants for design/build developments along this prominent road frontage.

“Lot 2, covering approximately 1.94 hectares, has access from Kakano Road through Kakano Business Park, via Topere Lane. The site has all services – encompassing power, water, telecom and sewage – inside the boundary of Lot 2.”

Mr Bode said that the owner, a construction company with over 15 years of building experience, would like to see Lot 2 developed on a design/build basis for office/warehouse use or, on a subdivision concept, eight lots of approximately 2,000 square metres each.

However, the owner may also consider selling the whole of Lot 2 or, alternatively, smaller industrial lots of approximately 2,000 square metres each.

The entire site at 81 Fred Taylor Drive is zoned Business – Light Industry under Auckland Council’s unitary plan. This provides for a wide range of light industrial activities ranging from manufacturing and production to logistics, storage, transport and distribution.

Mr Bode said Lot 2 had already attracted early interest as a location for a substantial warehouse. If sold or leased as a subdivision, design/build on the smaller sites could be attractive to small businesses for storage, distribution or online sales operations, or as a service centre or base for the likes of plumbers or electrical contractors, he said.

“Lot 1 fronts prominently onto Fred Taylor Drive, a former section of State Highway 16 which still carries significant traffic volumes. Across Fred Taylor Drive is residential-zoned land that is set to give rise to thousands of new homes.

“Given this exposure and adjacent catchment, Lot 1 could be better suited to more commercial-type activities, such as offices, showrooms or a medical centre – though these uses would be subject to council consents,” said Mr Bode.

Ms Pan said the property’s location placed it at the heart of one of Auckland’s leading growth hubs.

“Westgate is seeing significant expansion and development and, in particular, a very healthy demand for industrial land. Auckland is seeing record-low vacancy levels for industrial space, and this shortage is clearly evident at Westgate.

“As a high percentage of New Zealand’s GDP is aligned to some form of industrial property use, the demand for efficient, quality industrial space is likely to remain strong,” Ms Pan said.

The North West corridor area, in which Westgate sits, is one of Auckland’s strongest growth hubs. It is undergoing a $1 billion transformation encompassing public amenities, schools and major transport upgrades.

Ms Pan said the Fred Taylor Drive site enjoyed outstanding transport links.

“With motorway access nearby, the site is a 20-minute drive from Auckland’s CBD. It is less than two kilometres from the Western Ring Route, which provides a link between the north and south of Auckland, allowing direct motorway access to and from Auckland Airport,” she said.

Ms Pan said the site was situated moments away from the NorthWest Shopping Centre which boasts more than 100 shops.

“Costco’s new large-format retail store is under construction nearby, and a huge Costco Fuel outlet is due to open in early 2022. Costco is the world’s second largest retailer and is investing around $100 million in Westgate,” Ms Pan said.

Microsoft had recently settled a land purchase in Kakano Road and started construction of a major data centre, she said.

Other big neighbouring brands include Dulux, Resene, Mitre 10, Pak n’ Save, Bunnings, Harvey Norman and Briscoes.

Click here for more information on the listing.

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