Location: Tauranga, New Zealand

Master Planned as a 1,500 hectare extension to Papamoa East, Modena Beach consists of four neighborhoods.  Two of the four neighborhoods are designed as town centers to take advantage of their proximity to proposed interchanges along a future highway bypass running parallel to the property’s southern boundary.  Stage I of Modena Beach is an infill project called Excelsa.  Excelsa is planned to feature some of the innovative building types which will be found in Modena and will serve as the “sales center” for the ongoing marketing of the project. The building types along with the street and open space layouts will reintroduce the Bay of Plenty region to neighborhood and town centre lifestyles.  Along with the City of Tuaranga, Papamoa and its environs are part of fastest growing urban area in New Zealand.   As one of the warmest and sunniest places in New Zealand, the Tauranga area attracts many retirees drawn to the beaches which line the coast.  The growth has taken the form of 20 kilometer strip of subdivision estates and strip shopping centers.  The linear nature and segregated zoning of the metropolitan area have exacerbated the regions traffic congestion as people are forced to drive long distances between home, work and shopping.

The master plan an alternative form of development to the standard suburban projects which dominate the landscape.  As the southern anchor of the metropolitan area, and along the path of growth, the Modena site provided an opportunity to create a community extension that balances jobs and housing, while offering a true urban experience catering to many different lifestyles and incomes.  Because the property is not directly on the beach and does not offer beach views, The master plan is designed to create “value” out of community and views inland to the mountains.  Serving a population of over 20,000 at build-out, Modena Beach will make sustainable the future growth of the southern end of the Tauranga metropolitan area.

Each neighborhood is structured to orient views to the important area mountain peaks including Mount Mananganou.  Centered on the boulevards and avenues which connect the four neighborhoods the views tie the community back to its natural and historical setting.  Maori requirements for water and waste retention on site were carefully planned into the layout of a series of lakes and canals that also makeup the site’s extensive open space system.  Two town centers, each with more than 500,000m² of commercial space will provide, shopping, employment, entertainment, as well as housing for residents of the southern end of the metropolitan area.  The entire property is designed to be the first “transit ready” development in the New Zealand.  Because of its pedestrian shed structure, Modena Beach will be able to efficiently and affectively take advantage of transit in the form of buses, trains or trolleys as population density warrants.