Nga¯ rara reaches next stage in development
FIVE MORE townhouses have just been released in the sustainable Waikanae subdivision of Nga¯ rara. The approximately 120-square metre dwellings will comprises Lots 1-5. They will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms and are expected to sell from $605,000-$630,000.
‘‘We anticipate they will go quickly,’’ Morgan Phillips, of Professionals, says. ‘‘The first four townhouses were snapped up.’’
He says such is the interest in the unique subdivision that large groups are inspecting it each weekend at the site office of 101 Te Moana Rd.
Building of the show home is well advanced and Phillips expects it to open early next year.
‘‘We’ve had an incredible response to this development,’’ he says.
‘‘Most people visiting are from Wellington and the Kapiti Coast, and they just love the ease with which they are able to get off the Kapiti Expressway. ‘‘People are also amazed by how quiet and peaceful it is here. And they love the community concept of Nga¯ rara.’’
About 900 houses, townhouses and semidetached townhouses are to be built on the land between the village and the beach, which has been in the same family for four generations.
More than half of the land will be open space, incorporating 60 hectares of the Kawakahia Wetland.
Mixed land use will be another feature of Nga¯ rara. Cafes, restaurants and other smallscale retail operators will sit alongside parks and reserves, greenways, and walking and cycling tracks.
‘‘The public has really responded to this concept,’’ Phillips says.
‘‘They love the idea of being able to get out of bed in the morning and go across the road for a coffee.
‘‘We are negotiating with retailers now.’’ The subdivision has been designed following Low Impact Urban Design and Development principles.
‘‘Ecosystems have limitations and we must work within those if our development is to be sustainable,’’ Phillips says. ‘‘This approach has guided all our decisions when designing the infrastructure across the development.’’
All the high-performance energy-efficient townhouses will have hot-water heat pumps and underfloor heating, thermally separated double-glazed windows, extensive insulation, underground rainwater tanks and the option to add photovoltaic solutions.
Phillips says all the sites for the townhouses and stand-alone homes will be fenced.
‘‘Early next year we will be releasing an additional block of twelve ‘small and smart’ townhouses, which we hope to bring to the market, as house-and-land packages starting at $350,000, to meet the significant need for smaller, more cost-effective homes.
‘‘Homes that are bought now will be ready for moving into by June/July next year.’’ Artist impression