Te Whakamananga o te Wāhi Noho Apiapi Wawaenga – He mea whakatinana i raro i te ture i te 20 o Akuhata, i te tau 2022 | Enabling Medium Density Housing- Implemented under law from 20 August 2022
Mandatory provisions enacted from 20 August 2022 will enable landowners to build up to three houses of up to three storeys on their site, with no resource consent required. Instead, these houses will proceed straight to applying for building consents. This new rule applies to most sites, unless resource consent is required for another reason or a qualifying matter applies.
These mandatory provisions will apply to the current Residential 1 and Residential 2 Zones, which covers most of the urban area. It should however be noted that most of the Residential 2 Zone has been proposed through the plan change to be high density zone (orange area in map below). The medium density zoning for this zone under the MDRS would therefore further change to high density once the plan is made operative.
Residential areas where changes will apply:
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Key Provisions for the Residential 1 Zone:
Performance Standards |
Current Residential 1 Zone – Low Density Living |
Proposed Residential 1 Zone – Medium Density Residential Zone |
Maximum Building Height |
7.5m |
11m with an allowance for the peak of the roof to extend an additional 1m. |
Density |
Average one unit per 450m2 |
3 Residential Units per Site |
|
Minimum distance from house to front yard Minimum distance from house to side and Rear |
5m 2.5m |
1.5m 1m |
Height envelope |
3m + 45 degrees |
4m + 60 degrees |
Maximum amount of site that can be covered by buildings |
40% |
50% |
|
Outdoor living space |
A minimum of 10% of the net site area shall be provided as outdoor recreation and amenity space |
Where at ground floor – minimum 20m2, with no dimension less than 3m Where above ground floor – minimum 8m2, with no dimension less than 1.8m |
Outlook space |
No controls |
The minimum dimension for a required outlook space are as follows:
|
Glazing |
No controls |
20% of the street facing facade to be glazed. |
Landscaping |
No controls |
Minimum 20% of a development site |
Read the Ministry for the Environment factsheet on these standards.
In practice, what you might start to see are residential developments in a variety of sizes and forms, including detached dwellings, terrace housing and low-rise apartments.
What these standards will look like if a site is built out to the maximum:
What houses could look like under the new Medium Density Residential Standards:
How we are providing for good medium density outcomes:
Proposed Residential Zones changes open for submissions
Other provisions that are proposed in the Plan Change that are not part of the MDRS include:
- Rules that regulate minimum dwelling size, maximum building length, maximum impervious area and fences;
- Assessment criteria for four or more dwellings to achieve quality-built outcomes; and
- Rules associated with qualifying matters.
The intent of these additional rules is to achieve quality-built outcomes. These outcomes are:
- Attractive and safe streets
- Quality living environments, and
- Managed effects on the neighbours (privacy, daylight and access)
We’re looking for your feedback on these changes. We’re suggesting these rules to make sure our city is well-designed and well-planned and works for everyone.
Introducing a High Density Residential Zone
It is proposed to primarily retain the spatial extent of the current Residential 2 zone but enable high-density housing such as terrace housing and apartments within this zone. Being close to the City Centre, the proposed Residential 2 - High Density Residential Zone is aligned to the most accessible areas within Rotorua, enabling more people to live in areas, which can access amenities and employment through active and public transport modes. The accessibility heat map below shows that the central part of the city is the most accessible (shown in the dark blue).
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It is proposed to apply a 19.5m height limit within the Residential 2 High Density Residential Zone. This will enable up to five to six storey apartments in this zone as opposed to the three storeys walk-ups permitted through the MDRS.
Key Provisions of the proposed Residential 2 Zone
Performance Standards |
Current Residential 2 zone – Medium Density Living |
Proposed Residential 2 Zone – High Density Residential Zone |
Maximum Building Height |
7.5m |
19.5m |
Density |
One unit per 350m2 |
3 houses per site - permitted 4 or more dwellings – restricted discretionary |
|
Minimum distance from house to front yard Minimum distance from house to side and Rear |
3m
|
1.5m 1m |
Height envelope |
3m + 45 degrees |
12m + 60 degrees – within 23.5m from the road frontage. 4m + 60 degrees – along all other boundaries. |
Maximum amount of site that can be covered by buildings |
No maximum site coverage |
50% |
|
Outdoor living space |
A minimum of 10% of the net site area shall be provided as outdoor recreation and amenity space |
Where at ground floor – minimum 20m2, with no dimension less than 3m Where above ground floor – minimum 6m2, with no dimension less than 1.8m |
Outlook space |
No controls |
From principal living room – minimum 4m by 4m; and From all other habitable rooms – minimum 1m by 1m |
Glazing |
No controls |
Minimum 20% of the street facing façade in glazing |
Landscaping |
No controls |
Minimum 20% of a development site |
How we are providing for good high density outcomes:
