Early indications suggest apartments and villas to be built as part of the Observatory Hill Retirement Village in Oamaru could be snapped up quickly.
Construction of the first stage of the $21 million project is set to start in February, with the facility to be built in three stages over two years.
Up to 12 apartments and 21 villas will be built.
Observatory Hill Retirement Village Trust chairman Ken Scott said there had been a positive response from the public since the letting of tenders and construction start date had been announced.
''We've already had people contacting us about moving in,'' he said.
''That's a great sign. What it tells us is that there is genuine interest out there and that this is something the community really does want.''
Requests for information had come from people interested in apartments and villas.
The fact people were showing an interest so early gave the trust the chance to find out exactly what people wanted, Mr Scott said.
''Now, we can get more feedback from the people who've contacted us and that will tell us if we need to look at changing our layouts, perhaps, or adding some features.''
Construction of the apartments is set to be completed by August 2017, with forecast prices starting at $230,000 for a one-bedroom unit and $270,000 for a two-bedroom unit.
Stand-alone, independent-living villas will be built as required and can be tailored to individual needs.
Mr Scott said villas ranged in size from 120sq m to 150sq m.
Buyers would buy an industry-standard occupation right agreement for their apartment or villa, including a commitment from the trust to manage the resale of accommodation when requested and return sale proceeds to the owner's family.
The project is being funded by the Waitaki District Council ($8 million), Waitaki District Health Services ($5.63 million) and proceeds from the sale of apartments and villas.
- Oamaru Mail
