New Hamilton Riverside Community Offers Big Development Opportunity

A ground breaking opportunity to be part of an innovative mixed-use community development alongside the Waikato River in Hamilton is being offered with the sale of three hectares of land in the first stage of the project.

Registrations of interest are being sought for four superlots capable of accommodating over 200 dwellings at Te Awa Lakes at Horotiu on the northern outskirts of Hamilton. They will be the start of a billion-dollar master planned project which could eventually comprise around 1,800 homes, incorporating land adjacent to feature lakes and riverside lots, as well as a village centre, outdoor recreational activities and an adventure park.

The proposed development encompasses approximately 90 hectares of land located alongside the Waikato River and the Waikato Expressway (State Highway One). It is owned and was formerly operated as a sand quarry by the Perry Group.

The company, one of Hamilton’s best known businesses established by Brian Perry in 1954, obtained a Private Plan Change to convert the site’s previous industrial zoning to a mix of medium-density residential and business zonings.

“Our very clear vison with Te Awa Lakes is to transform an unused industrial site into a thriving, integrated community providing a new way of living for the region,” says Te Awa Lakes chief executive Richard Coventry. “It will encompass high-quality medium density housing, retail, tourism and recreational activities and create a stunning new northern gateway to Hamilton.

“On the residential side of the development, we are looking to work in partnership with established developers and house builders experienced in large-scale projects. We are proposing that at least 10 percent of the housing will meet the affordable homes classification to make sure first home buyers have the opportunity to be part of the purchaser mix.”

Bayleys Real Estate has been appointed sole agents to market the four superlots that will be part of the initial stages of the development.

Ranging in size from 7,366 sqm to9,029 sqm, they are available for purchase individually or in any combination, including all four lots. Up to 216 dwellings are envisioned across the lots comprising a mixture of medium density housing and apartments along with ground floor retail and food and beverage outlets on Hutchinson Rd, one of the site’s main roads. Titles are estimated to be available in June 2022.

“This is an exciting opportunity to secure a foothold in what is likely be a decade-long project aiming to set a new benchmark for community development in Hamilton,” says Gerald Rundle, Bayleys’ corporate projects manager. He is marketing the property with colleagues Suzie Wigglesworth, Paula Bennett and David Cashmore

“The master plan envisages a range of housing types and densities to meet the needs of a diverse range of owners across the full price spectrum, from young professionals to families and retirees.”

Also proposed in the masterplan, subject to obtaining the necessary council consents, are a village centre, with retail, food and beverage and other commercial premises, visitor accommodation, an aged care/retirement village and recreational amenities including cycle and walking trails and an adventure park with a water and outdoor activity theme. The park’s proposed location is at the southern end of the site in a buffer zone between the project’s housing and Fonterra’s Horotiu dairy factory.

The property’s existing lakes will be fine-tuned and upgraded to become a central feature of Te Awa Lakes, offering residents and visitors the opportunity to swim, kayak or paddle board.

The Waikato River will also be opened up along the 1.5 km length of Te Awa Lakes site via an esplanade and multiple new connections to the existing Te Awa Cycleway. The Brian Perry Charitable Trust sponsored the cost of the largest cycling bridge in the country which has allowed for an eight kilometre extension of the river ride from Ngaruawahia through to Horotiu.

The Te Awa Lakes project is a joint venture comprising HFL Investments Limited, a subsidiary of the Perry Group and PPD Te Awa Lakes, a company associated with Schick Construction which is undertaking the civil infrastructure works. This includes roading and streetscape works and the supply of utilities to the lots such as power, telecommunications, water and waste services.

Initial registrations of interest for the purchase and development of the four superlots close on July 14.

David Cashmore, who leads the Bayleys Hamilton sales team, says Te Awa Lake is a five-minute drive from The Base shopping mall and has expressway access at the doorstep into central Hamilton or Auckland.

He says the project’s mix of family homes, terraced accommodation and apartments will increase housing supply at a time when demand is high and outstripping supply. “Hamilton City Council and the government signed a Housing Accord in December 2016 with the goal of increasing supply and improving affordability in the city and Te Awa Lakes will play a significant role in helping meet the Housing Accord targets.”

Te Awa Lakes will be a community where residents can “live, work and play” says Perry Group chair Simon Perry. “We’ve designed it to have everything you need in the one precinct - new homes, an adventure park for the kids, bike trails, river activities, cafes and restaurants, convenience shopping and fantastic modern work spaces.”

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