KEY POINTS:
BELLA VISTA APARTMENTS,
TE ATATU RD AND GUNNER DR,
TE ATATU PENINSULA.
There's no way to miss Bella Vista. It's the only medium-rise development on Te Atatu Peninsula and it's likely to stay that way.
The land was zoned high density but it took two years going through the notified consent process for Waitakere City to come to terms with what that means.
Council input has given the building a flavour missing in city developments. Its conditions led to the creation of a large central atrium with a glass roof, meaning the six-storey building is flooded with light.
Fixed louvres in the atrium walls give a steady flow of air into the interior.
The developers, Southside Group, also opted to give each apartment a generous balcony for a feel of outside living.
"We're proud of the development," says spokesperson Ben Snelling.
"There's nothing else like it in the west and there's not many places with the views you can get from Te Atatu Peninsula."
Those views vary depending on which side an apartment is on and how high it is in the building.
To the east, they look across the upper harbour towards the Harbour Bridge, the city and Rangitoto.
To the west are the Waitakere Ranges and the prospect of afternoon sun and spectacular sunsets.
About half the 37 units have sold off the plans, and Southside still has one three-bedroom unit and nine two-bedroom apartments available.
Ben says buyers so far have been older - empty nesters or early retirees wanting something demanding less maintenance than a house, and who usually have a previous attachment to the west.
The apartments are all at least 70sq m. The building is wired for broadband and Sky, and all units have Fisher & Paykel fridges, ovens and stovetops.
They also come with two secure carparks and six cubic metres of basement storage.
The three-bedroom apartment features a large kitchen living area with free-standing terrazzo benchtop, two bathrooms and a large balcony with views back to the city.
A curious feature is a tiny room left over once a storage cupboard was created for the hot water cylinder. The developer is calling it a "media station".
The layout of the building means some of the units wrap themselves around corners, getting away from the boxy feel many apartments have.
Bella Vista is located at the start of the Te Atatu Peninsula shopping centre and has commercial retail space on the ground floor.
It's just off the northwest motorway, making it only 15 minutes to the CBD off-peak.
The area is changing, with extensive townhouse and waterside development.
