Keenan Road Urban Growth
Keenan Road Urban Growth Area Investigation
Updated April 2017
The process of identifying land for future urban development is part of the SmartGrowth Strategy 2013, the sub-regional spatial plan developed by a partnership across Western Bay of Plenty District, Tauranga City and Bay of Plenty Regional councils, and Tangata Whenua. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is an implementation partner.
This strategy was adopted by in 2004 and updated in 2013. Part of its purpose is to ensure enough land is available to house the population growth expected in the sub-region.
The Keenan Road area has been identified by SmartGrowth as a future Urban Growth Area and is being considered for residential development in the near future. This was confirmed by a decision of the SmartGrowth Partnership in August 2016.
In May 2016 preliminary indications showed the Keenan Road area would be more expensive to develop than initially anticipated, and the large number of landowners and comparatively smaller properties would make it difficult to achieve an agreed development plan.
These factors needed to be balanced against an assessment of other land areas broadly within what is called the Western Corridor (the area generally between Pyes Pa Road and the Wairoa River).
In particular was the possibility of developing the area known as Tauriko West (between SH29 and the Wairoa River from Belk Road to Cambridge Road). The SmartGrowth partners and NZTA have been working together to identify transport solutions to support urbanisation of this area. The technical findings of the work have been supported by the SmartGrowth partners and NZTA. These findings mean that the Tauriko West area will be the first area to be developed, followed by the Keenan Road urban growth area. We expect Keenan Road to follow a similar, but delayed, timeline to Tauriko West, with the timing yet to be confirmed.
Further information about this project and the process is contained in the letter sent to landowners in the area being investigated. Read the letter to landowners:
Other useful documents are:
The SmartGrowth Strategy (In particular is Part C Settlement Pattern, and specifically the Residential Land component (page 99) and Map 7.)
