Council chief executive Adam Feeley said the project's original land allocation at Three Parks, on the outskirts of Wanaka, was 5.5ha, most of which was a reserves contribution from the subdivision's developer, Willowridge Developments Ltd.
The council was to buy the balance of the original site. However, after changes to the facility's layout were recommended in a peer review earlier this year, the new building shape would require a revised agreement to buy a larger piece of land, Mr Feeley said.
''We believe that to ensure the right functional layout, a new configuration of approximately 6.9ha. is required.
''This does not involve any additional functionality as such, but rather it [facility] configured differently to provide more options for use of the outdoor spaces, better connection between the buildings and the outdoor spaces, easier road and parking access, greater ability to stage the development and logical options for extensions should they be required in the future.''
Mr Feeley would not disclose the cost of the land for the sports facility project, as agreements were yet to be finalised.
An agreement signed in March last year with Willowridge - which owns most of the land required for the facility - gave the council title and access to the land within a four-year timeframe.
However, the agreement ''lacked detail'' in that no ''specific milestone dates'' were included, Mr Feeley said.
''We're spending public money, so we need certainty around those dates.
''It's not enough to say there will be a Wanaka sports facility in 2016, we need to say the design stage will be completed by such and such a date, we will have road access and title to that land [by a specific date].''
The sports facility's intended opening date was by the end of the first-quarter of 2016.
During recent commercial discussions, Willowridge director Allan Dippie seemed ''reasonably comfortable'' the milestones the council had proposed were achievable, Mr Feeley said.
Mr Dippie confirmed to the Otago Daily Times he was ''very much on the same page'' as the council with regards to the timeline of the sports facility project, although it was possible construction and the provision of services to the site might have to take place concurrently.
''In this case, working together with council, we can probably speed the process up,'' Mr Dippie said.
A large amount of the bulk earthworks to build the road to the sports facility had already been completed.
Mr Feeley considered the $16.7 million tagged in the council's long term plan for the sports facility ''on the generous side'', and the goal would be to reduce that cost.
''Once we have the commercial aspects - location and terms and everything else - nailed down, we will be looking to come up with a concept design and that will be the first opportunity where we get a fairly firm [cost] number.''
While there was no intention to downgrade the quality of the facility to cut costs, the council wanted to make sure it was designed in the most cost-efficient manner.
