A 650-lot subdivision is in the pipeline for the southern edge of the town, while Summerset Retirement Village has applied for fast-track approval for a retirement village between Mosgiel and Wingatui.
The retirement village would have 260 independent living units and 70 other suites, apartments and beds.
The 650 lots of Lane Hocking’s Universal Development’s planned Longfield Mosgiel subdivision make it one of the larger developments in Dunedin in recent years.
That has raised alarm among Mosgiel residents, who expressed their concern on social media.
A Mosgiel resident posted that the Longfield development should not get the sign-off from the Dunedin City Council until such time as the sewerage, stormwater and other services had been upgraded to handle the extra population and the roading infrastructure had also been upgraded to meet the demand.
Others complained about the likely traffic bottle-neck in the late afternoon as a result of the new subdivision, at least one person saying Mosgiel’s roads were "stuffed", while another worried about "urban sprawl" occurring as a result of the development.
There were also complaints about the development company’s supposed lack of communication with the public.
Summerset’s fast-track application is for the construction and operation of a new comprehensive-care retirement village on about 17ha of land in Mosgiel.
It has also promised a range of resident amenities such as a bowling green, cafe, restaurant, swimming pool, library, recreation centre, cinema and shop for residents.
The project has not yet been opened for consultation as part of the fast-track process.
An NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi spokesman said the organisation was working with the Dunedin City Council and developer to identify and manage traffic effects arising from the Longfield development.
Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairwoman Rebecca Shepherd said any new development for Mosgiel was exciting provided the infrastructure could handle it, or the infrastructure was upgraded as a result.
"I suppose there’s the age-old problem of our transport and traffic flow in Mosgiel, and if we can use this as a stepping stone for getting maybe some changes to our roading and maybe even a bypass for the heavy traffic, then it’s got to be good for Mosgiel, if the increased population is that last little step that we need to get across the line for the powers that be."
Ms Shepherd said schooling in the Mosgiel-Taieri area also needed to be considered.
"I imagine that Taieri College is probably getting close to capacity, so it would be nice if that subdivision pushes for another school to be developed."
In regards to the proposed retirement village, she hoped the fast-track process would address infrastructure issues such as stormwater.
"I guess my proviso is that along with the developer getting their consent and if it is a fast-track consent, that the boxes are also ticked for how the rubbish is going to be collected, how the sewage is going to be managed, how all the stormwater is going to be managed.
"I imagine especially in the retirement village-type setting, there’s going to be a lot of paved areas and duplex-type style houses with a lot of roof area. I think for our particular area, we need to make sure that the drainage and all of that is attended to."
