Decision made on pensioner housing sale
30 May 2017
Waipa District Council is to sell its Palmer Street pensioner housing complex in Te Awamutu.
The 36-unit complex will be sold to charitable organisation, Habitat for Humanity. Funds from the sale - likely to be between $1.7 - $1.9 million - will be used to build new pensioner housing units in the district.
Habitat, which already owns the neighbouring Freeman Court complex, will be required to maintain the complex specifically for pensioner housing. Current tenants have been informed of the sale via hand-delivered letters. All existing tenants will be offered lifetime tenancies as long as conditions are met.
Should Habitat for Humanity ever want to sell the site, Council will have first right of refusal to buy it back.
Council consulted the community on the proposal to sell during March and April this year. Fifteen submissions were received, 13 in favour of the sale and two against. The decision to sell was made at a full Council meeting today.
Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the decision to sell the Palmer Street complex makes a lot of sense.
The sale will mean that we have funds available to build more pensioner housing units in our district. Given our ageing population and the growth on the cards for us, providing this kind of housing is now more important than ever.
The sale of the units is likely to occur before the end of this year.
Pensioner housing is a self-funded activity at Waipa with costs covered by rents. Rents are not subsidised by ratepayers.
For more information, contact: Natalie Palmer 027 807 3174