Council consent hearings committee chairman Cr Colin Weatherall said the committee had "some uncertainties" about some of the detail.
An adjournment to gain more information was the "most practical way" forward, "in the interests of a quality application and a quality decision", he said.
After the information sought is provided, and circulated to all parties involved, the applicant, Summerset Retirement Village Group, would have the right of reply when the hearing resumed in early September, council officials said.
Summerset has applied to the council for consent to build a three-storey building, to include serviced apartments and care beds, an apartment block of 51 units, and 31 townhouses in Shetland St.
The Australian-owned, New Zealand-operated, company bought a 1.9ha block of land for $1.4 million in 2009, and shortly afterwards received Overseas Investment Office clearance.
Council processing planner Kirstyn Lindsay recommended consent be granted, subject to conditions including the limitation of construction to between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
The hearing, which had begun on Monday, resumed yesterday after committee members Crs Weatherall, Fliss Butcher and Kate Wilson spent two hours visiting the site of the proposed village.
On Monday, many submitters had outlined their concerns about increased traffic, parking problems, and construction noise, and with the height of the village's buildings.
Summerset's planner, Allan Cubitt, said the village proposal was "necessary in the context of Dunedin's ageing population" and was a suitable use of the site.
Committee members yesterday asked about various aspects of the project.
After a brief adjournment, Cr Weatherall indicated that the committee was seeking more detail on several matters.
Given the site was not flat, the committee wanted to see the proposed buildings depicted on a topographical map to better grasp the relationship of the components to each other.
The committee also wanted to know where any heat pumps would be located, in order to avoid any potential noise issues, and more information was sought about the likely "colour palette" to be used in the proposed development.
Summerset has applied for a 10-year lapsing period for construction, but Summerset representative Jack Stone told the committee yesterday that construction would not continue throughout 10 years.
He explained later that proposed construction would involve the equivalent of about three years of work, carried out over about a six-year period.
