Vincent Community Board chairman Jayden Cromb said growth in the Central Otago town was going to be huge and supporting that growth was the community board’s key role.
"Growth can look really exciting, but unless you’ve got the pipes in the ground, eventually it’s going to become a problem," Mr Cromb said
More permanent residents and an almost doubling of the population during the holiday season already put a huge strain on the town’s infrastructure, Mr Cromb said.
"The key priority with this is while we understand that people like that small-town feel, we can’t stop people coming here, and we’ve got to actually be supporting that growth."
The water treatment plant above Clyde had been planned with the future in mind, he said.
A proper sewerage system would be the next problem as the network of pipes and other infrastructure was almost at capacity now.
And there had been good lessons from other councils of the consequences of growth outstripping infrastructure, he said.
"I would imagine we’re going to be in a pretty good position while we deal with this growth, because I don’t believe for a second that that number of sections [300] is going to be it."
The upcoming review and revamping of the RMA was likely to encourage even more new development, Mr Cromb said.
In Ngapara St, developer Canepa Developments, which was responsible for the Old Golf Course subdivision in Alexandra, is preparing Ngapara Estate with about 50 sections.
Developer Jeff Vessey said the roads, footpaths and landscaping would be complete in the next few weeks and marketing would begin.
"Alex [Alexandra] has always been just on the fringes of a boom, like Queenstown’s had this boom, and Cromwell has as well.
"And I think people have got options now.
"Maybe Alex is actually slightly cheaper than Cromwell now.
"How long that’ll last, well, normally the market sort of rights itself, and everything comes about the same again, doesn’t it?"
Mr Vessey said he imagined people who wanted to downsize into a brand-new home would be interested in the development but equally it could appeal to first-home buyers as it as a "middle of the road" subdivision.
In November, consent was granted for a 31-section development, known as Glenoir, by commissioners Louise Taylor, Wendy Baker and Ros Day-Cleavin after a two-day hearing in Alexandra.
Lots on the Dunstan Rd site will range from 840sqm to 1940sqm, with one vested in the Central Otago District Council as recreation reserve and another as road reserve.
Further along Dunstan Rd it was third time lucky for William Hill Estate developer Russell Ibbotson, who finally gained consent in February last year for a subdivision of 60 sections on a former vineyard site opposite the Alexandra Golf Club and the Otago Central Rail Trail.
Previously advertised before consent was granted in 2018 and 2022 the project has been a long time coming.
However, the delays had affected the price of the sections, Mr Ibbotson said.
The number of subdivisions under way in the town risked an over-supply in contrast to the shortage in 2018, when he first went to market, he said.
However, the William Hill sections were all more than 2000sqm, larger than most, which set them apart.
The largest new subdivision is on the outskirts of Alexandra, bordered by State Highway 8 and the Alexandra Golf Course.
It is being developed by Ngāi Tahu in seven stages and is expected to eventually have 189 sections on the 14.4ha site.
