Last week, the Wānaka App explained the origins and history of Three Parks; today we explore the future development, expansion and diversification of the site.

Three Parks, Wānaka’s largest commercial, recreational and retail development, is experiencing exponential growth and diversification, with major retail, residential, health and recreational projects underway that are set to double its development within the next decade.

Since its first building opened in 2017, Three Parks has rapidly evolved into a vibrant commercial and community precinct. Now, according to Three Parks’ developer Allan Dippie, owner of Willowridge Developments, momentum is accelerating.

“So many things are happening at once now it’s actually hard to choose which project to complete first,” he said.

“Three Parks is like constructing a giant Jigsaw puzzle and it’s important all the pieces are in the right places.”

Large-scale retail

The big box stores, co-located at the northeastern end (closest to the State Highway) of Three Parks, share shopping demands and car parking across three compact retail precincts.

The first and second precincts, beginning with New Word Three Parks supermarket and Mitre 10 MEGA respectively, have attracted a number of large operators from out of town, such as Noel Leeming and The Warehouse, as well as providing growth capacity for already established Wānaka retailers, such as Smith’s City, which relocated to Three Parks.

The next major building (beside Mountain Warehouse) to be completed before the end of the year has McKenzie & Willis and Fit Gym lined up as its major tenants, Allan said.

Land preparation for the third retail precinct (to the south of Mitre 10 MEGA) is already progressing and will feature a Woolworths New Zealand, which received consent last month to build a large supermarket and a 200m2 venue for retail, food and beverage tenancies.

Adjacent to this supermarket, and In the final stages of design, is a new retail complex for four to five retailers which require largescale spaces (400m2-900m2).

Plans indicate the location of the proposed town square beside Sir Tim Wallis Drive. 

And at the heart of Three Parks’ retail precincts, a town square is proposed, catering for a market and a hospitality precinct featuring cafes, pubs and ‘ethnic shared space’ food options.

A new boutique cinema, replacing Ruby’s which closed in March this year, will also be located at town square. 

Behind the town square and directly opposite Mitre 10 MEGA yet another multi-tenant, large retail space will begin construction soon: there’s “lots of demand from a variety of medium sized to large retailers from all sectors”, Allan said.

Commercial office, health and residential development

At the Ballantyne Road end of Three Parks a variety of businesses and offices have been established, ranging from vet services, cafes and gyms, to laundries, dog and car wash facilities, funeral services, and indoor trampolining.

“Willowridge takes much pride in facilitating these developments which enable local companies and investors to initiate their own projects,” Allan said.

Opposite the primary school, a health care precinct is proposed.

Property investment company Roa has plans for a $300M privately funded project comprising a five-level hospital with four operating theatres, imaging services, a 24-hour emergency department and more than 70 inpatient, emergency, and post anaesthetic care beds; with more offices co-located providing allied medical services, such as consulting and treatment rooms.

At the Ballantyne Road entrance to Three Parks there are a variety of commercial offices and businesses.

In addition to these developments, Three Parks is also quietly progressing its residential plans with civil works for the first stage of Metlifecare’s retirement village, adjacent to Wānaka Golf Club’s ‘back nine holes’, nearing completion. Construction of the village has just begun.

“There is always demand for residential projects in Wānaka; we are presently master-planning and designing larger scale apartment style projects,” Allan said, including apartments potentially for worker accommodation. 

And the Mt Iron Resort Hotel (adjacent to the State Highway) is consented: “This will have apartments within that complex suitable for visitor accommodation,” Allan said.

Three Parks’ diverse future

One of the aims is to make Three Parks so diverse and comprehensive in the goods and services it offers that the Upper Clutha community becomes self-sufficient and no longer need to travel out of town for these services, he said.

“Covid made us realise the importance of this.”

Metlifecare Retirement Village, beside the tree-lined golf course, is now under construction.

“Perhaps the most exciting thing we are doing next is another community driven project working with the QLDC and the Community Board to transform the 20ha [former] sewage ponds site into a recreation and sports field super-hub, which we will connect to the [Wānaka] recreation centre by cycle path,” he said.

This public asset “has been sitting idle and not doing anything but breeding rabbits for the last decade”, Allan said. Willowridge Development’s civil construction arm, Central Machine Hire, is now working on the remediation of the ponds site and the creation of a new grass surface.

It’s hard to appreciate the scale of the sports-hub land, he said, “but it’s huge and it’s definitely a crown jewel in terms of a community asset, and the QLDC needs to be congratulated for having the foresight to preserve it forever for community use.”

The size of the former sewerage ponds, now being transformed into future sports fields, is more visible from the air.

The consent process for the first stage of industrial development planned in the industrial zone between the new sports hub and Riverbank Road, is also underway, Allan said. This will include a new roundabout intersection on Ballantyne Road (near Claas Harvest Centre).

The former “Wheels at Wānaka” arena is also being adapted to suit public concerts as was announced recently when Three Parks was revealed as a new venue for Greenstone Entertainment, the promoter behind the former annual Gibbston Valley concerts.

“We have committed to Greenstone for at least the next five years,” Allan said.

Three Parks Outdoor Arena will typically cater for concerts attracting 12,000 - 15,000 people but the arena will have double that capacity, he said.

Allan said future connectivity to the existing town and the wider surrounds is going to be key. 

As well as progressing roundabout entrances to Three Parks at both Ballantyne Road/Golf Course Road and new intersections off Riverbank and Ballantyne Roads, public transport bus stops are included in the Three Parks master-plan.

The planned roundabout on Ballantyne Road, near Claas Harvest Centre, will also provide essential access to the residential subdivisions Alpine Meadows and Alpine Estate, connecting traffic between Ballantyne Road and Cardrona Valley Road for the first time.

“A lot of people ask how long Three Parks will take to complete and it is hard to give an answer except to say we would rather do things right instead of development for development’s sake. If it’s not a good fit we don’t do it and we wait until the right project comes along.”

Within the next 10 years, Allan expects Three Parks’ development will double in size.

“We are very lucky to have such a big, blank canvas to work on and the future is very exciting with much planned.”

PHOTOS: Willowridge Developments