Today the Tasman District council confirmed a Special Housing Accord for Richmond, including a new Arvida retirement village expected to open up more than 150 villas for retirees and create over 60 jobs for those in the region.
Pending the resource consent process, building is expected to commence in 2018. Arvida CEO Bill McDonald says the new development will be built on Arvida’s commitment to broader community engagement, helping retirees to live a full and satisfying life post retirement.
“We know that what was acceptable for retirement living in the past is not what people are looking for today and into the future. Kiwis are looking for retirement living to be an extension of their lifestyle, not a restriction,” he says.
“Our culture is all about improving the lives and wellbeing of every resident who lives in an Arvida retirement village. Life shouldn’t stop when you retire – it should get even better. This philosophy is the future of retirement living.”
The retirement village will form part of a wider housing development, which will be known as The Meadows, owned by locals Andrew Spittal, Simon Collett, Gary Donaldson and Graham Vercoe.
“We are delighted to have Arvida as a key partner in the development. We have a very similar vision of wanting to create a place where there is a real sense of community, one that embraces intergenerational living and is designed and built for the future,” says HLS spokesman and Project Manager for The Meadows, Andrew Spittal.
“The parcel of land is 40 hectares in total, with the Arvida village having 8 hectares. It is only minutes from the Richmond town centre and when complete will be the largest such development yet in Tasman, providing 600-700 house and land packages. The current rate of growth in our region is unprecedented and we believe The Meadows will provide a much-needed solution for people who want to live here in their own homes,” says Spittal.
McDonald says the investment is the third Arvida retirement village for the Nelson region and is the result of high demand for retirement living options in the region.
“Nelson Bays has a higher percentage of its population in the over 65 age bracket than the national average, so demand is high for retirement living options,” he says.
“We have another Arvida retirement village in very close proximity to the new site, Oakwoods, which is expected to pay $2.5 million in wages to the local community this coming year. The new village is expected to deliver similar wages and benefits to the local area as Oakwoods, as well as helping to alleviate the current housing shortages Nelson is experiencing. Our other village, The Wood, is located in the heart of Nelson City.
“The proposed new village is closer to the Richmond shopping area than most of the other villages, ensuring residents of the village are integrated and connected to the Richmond community. It will offer 150 villas, apartments and care suites. It will have outwardly facing community facilities, as well as a community oriented village centre and homestead.
“This will be a retirement village unlike any other in the region. We are basing it on the quality of our architecturally acclaimed village in Cambridge with high quality design, community facilities and homes.”