Kāinga Ora's Darren Toy, Tauranga City commission chairwoman Anne Tolley, and commissioner Shadrach Rolleston look over community design suggestions for the racecourse. Photo / Kiri Gillespie
Kāinga Ora's Darren Toy, Tauranga City commission chairwoman Anne Tolley, and commissioner Shadrach Rolleston look over community design suggestions for the racecourse. Photo / Kiri Gillespie
A new school, an indoor equestrian centre, a destination park complete with a pump track and - potentially - a hospital are among options touted for the redevelopment of prime reserve land originally considered for housing.
Tauranga City Council has today revealed seven options for future use of the 85 hectares of Crown-owned reserve land in Greerton currently shared by the Tauranga racecourse and neighbouring golf course.
The options are the result of feedback from the community as part of the Greerton Maarawaewae Study, which aims to futureproof the reserve land for up to the next 50 years. Initially, the land was being considered for housing development.
However, only two of the seven options as part of the $230,000 study include housing.
Up to 1500 homes could be included under one of the options and the rest of the land would be used for a community centre, school, and park area.
Asked what concerns Tolley had at the community reluctance for housing despite the city's dire housing crisis she said: "It's very clear this is a very special piece of land ... with history. We have to respect all of that. We have to take note of what the community says."
The land was originally confiscated from Ngāi Tamarawaho and the council was working in partnership with mana whenua, and Kāinga Ora as a Crown representative, on the project. The Crown owns the land and the council is its administering body.
It is leased by Racing Tauranga and the Tauranga Golf Club on a fixed term until 2039 with no automatic right of renewal. The clubs are members of the Tauranga Racecourse Reserve Charitable Trust, which manages the leases on behalf of the council.
The study aimed to provide certainty to those clubs as to what their future at that location might be, while also potentially helping to address the city's dire need for housing, Tolley said.
"We do have a housing crisis in Tauranga," she said.
One of the options for the future of the Tauranga Racecourse and Tauranga Golf Club site, with a potential hospital in the mix. Photo / Supplied
"We are not shying away from that - that sits alongside the promises we made to the current users. It was in those plans for housing. It certainly was part of the motivation (behind the study)."
One of the options for the land is to retain the status quo, while others incorporate varying degrees of active reserves, racecourse and golfing use and a space for the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
Tolley said that as part of the feedback process, the DHB lodged its interest but any more details on this were unknown at this stage.
She confirmed nothing was "set in stone" and there was the ability to create hybrids of the options if that's what people wanted.
"There are some big decisions that this city should've made, could've made and didn't make over these past 10 to 15 years," Tolley said.
"We are here to make these decisions so the city can go forward."
Tauranga Racecourse. Photo / NZME
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said the lack of housing in the plans showed how well the project team had taken on board the feedback of what people wanted, "otherwise there would be seven options for housing".
Toy refused to say what support the Crown would offer to help bring the final option to fruition.
People have until late February to have their say on which option they would prefer. Council staff are expected to present these findings to the commission in March before a potential final decision is made in April.
More information and a complete list of the options is available on the council's website.
