Auckland-based Vijay Singh is referring to a 4695sq m site on Queenstown’s Frankton Rd that is on the edge of the town centre.
His company Oaks Living Ltd, which has the site under contract, recently applied for resource consent for 38 three-level terraced homes for either residential or visitor accommodation.
A former landowner, Auckland-based Shundi Group, eventually received consent for a luxury hotel two years ago, but did not proceed with it (see right).
Oaks Living Ltd, instead, is planning a premium terraced housing development comprising 21 four-bedroom dwellings and 17 three-bedroom ones.
To maximise lake views, the homes have kitchen and living and dining rooms on the top floor and garaging on the bottom floor — there are 41 parking spaces altogether.
Three homes also have one-bedroom, separately-rentable ground floor residential flats.
The complex is divided into eight blocks with three to six units in each.
Ten face Frankton Rd and others back on to the other three adjoining boundaries.
Singh says his units are more roomy than those in other local terraced house complexes - about 150sq m to 160sq m for the three-bedders and 170sq m to 200sq m for the four-bedders.
The design is by the founding principal of Hamilton-based AWA Architects, Steve King.
A supportive urban design assessment says "the proposal has an obviously-residential look-and-feel and will maintain residential amenity values generally".
"The massing of the development into blocks of between three and six units per building will mitigate potential intensity and building scale effects."
The maximum building height is mostly less than 10m as against a permissible 16.5m.
The turn-off from Frankton Rd will be via an existing entrance near the Alexis motel and apartment complex, while the other access way by the arterial road turn-off - also consented for the previous development - will be removed.
Singh notes he is a very experienced developer, having completed 370 to 400 units in Auckland with another 800-lot subdivision under way.
"In all honesty, I love coming to Queenstown to do work."
He is expecting marketing for his $50m-plus development, which he is yet to name, will start soon.
Civil works would then start in about October with completion due late next year.
