St Clair Esplanade Ltd director Rebecca Tohill said the first phase of construction at 246 Forbury Rd, next to the Hydro Esplanade Apartments, was due to begin today.
The second phase of construction should be complete next year.
Ms Tohill and her partner and co-director, Grant Henderson, were behind the build, their second on the block.
The Otago couple also built a similar apartment and retail complex nearby at 6 Esplanade, in 2017, that is now home to the lifestyle and clothing store Wander and Sons.
"We’re not developers, you can say that, but we’re not," Ms Tohill said yesterday.
"We wanted to build 6 Esplanade because we wanted an apartment at St Clair.
"We just acquired the other two sections and they can’t sit empty forever, so we thought we might as well do something on those sections.
"People call us developers, but it’s not something we aspire to be.
"This is our home, this is where we are, and we are keen to help make St Clair more attractive — just add to the vibe."
The apartments would be sold, as would the retail area, which was under offer at the moment, Ms Tohill said.
A "run down" house in Bedford St was recently demolished and the section now housed a project management office.
Access to the apartments would be through that section.
The site would provide parking for the apartments, but ultimately a similar building could be put on that site as well, Ms Tohill said.
"We kind of want to see 246 advanced and see how that one goes first."
The land had been empty for ages, she said.
The couple bought it a couple of years ago when it became available.
"Now that we own it — you kind of feel a bit duty-bound to do something with it.
"It’s so ugly the way it is, as an empty section.
"So it’s just filling in that gap basically, making the Esplanade look nice."
She said she believed the area would benefit from retail, and she hoped the apartments would appeal to people who wanted to "downsize off the hill"... or "people in Central Otago that might want a bolt-hole in Dunedin".
The second phase of construction was expected to begin in August or September and would continue until July or August next year, she said.
