Prime Taupo spot sold
There are plans to develop four-star accommodation to replace the old Taupo¯ Council Building. Chris Marshall reports.
The Taupo District Council has sold the site of its former headquarters on Taupo¯ ’s ‘golden mile’ but is keeping mum on how much the sale netted.
The 3600 square metre, prime lakefront section with milliondollar views straight down the lake to the Tongariro National Park, has been vacant since early
2018 when the council building was demolished following the detection of friable asbestos.
Current valuation puts the high density residential zoned property at around $4.4 million.
A July 2019 valuation by Quotable Value listed the bare section, on the corner of Lake Terrace and Rifle Range Road at
$2,770,000, and the 1320 square metre area at 9 Rifle Range Road, which also forms part of the sale, at $1,595,000 ($775,000 in land value and $820,000 improvements).
In an email on Tuesday a council spokesperson confirmed the site had sold but said the figure could not be released until settlement of the sale due at the end of 2022.
It had been bought by New Zealand Development Trust Limited (NZDT), the email said, to develop four-star accommodation.
‘‘NZDT also purchased the new FMG Head Office building in Palmerston North in 2016 precompletion and sold it to a group of iwi investors on completion in early 2019.
‘‘They are currently finalising other substantial investments in Palmerston North and are now focusing on investment opportunities in Taupo which is a reflection of their confidence in the economic outlook for Taupo .’’
The rear section of the property – which currently houses a number of council staff in several low buildings – would be used by the council until the development got underway, said the email.
Other council employees are currently spread around a number of leased offices in the town – a situation set to continue as advance on the council’s new $37.5 million civic administration building planned for a carpark area in Tuwharetoa Street was a victim of budget tightening in response to Covid-19.
In June last year the council approved a refigured annual plan that put the CAB on hold, along with a number of other projects, to achieve a zero per cent average general rates increase.
The $37.5 million budget had been potentially reduced by $5 million with the dropping of at least one level of basement parking in December 2019, though developed plans are yet to be seen by councillors.
Fixing on a new site for the council building has caused some debate in the town with rebuilding on the lakefront site ruled out due to it being just outside the town centre boundary.
Council chief executive officer Gareth Green said in early 2019 that putting a larger-thanprevious office building at Lake Terrace would be difficult because planning regulations encouraged office activities to be concentrated in the town centre.
It might be able to claim ‘‘existing use rights’’ but that would limit any building and not allow for staff increases.
A grand plan to amalgamate a new CAB into the reserve space of Tongariro Domain, including provision for cultural, arts, and heritage facilities to replace Taupo¯ Museum, also fell by the wayside – some groups claiming the Tongariro Domain Management Plan limited land use to recreation rather than public administration.