Auckland councillors have agreed to consult with local boards and iwi on two options for scaling back the city's divisive housing intensification plans, after a tight vote on whether to strip the proposal to a legal bare minimum.
The council's planning committee today addressed winding back Plan Change 120, the Government-driven rezoning of Auckland designed to boost housing affordability.
Councillors voted to consult on both Scenario A, an "essentials only" option, and Scenario B, a slightly more ambitious plan that retains apartment zoning along frequent bus lines and taller building heights near train stations within 10 kilometres of the city centre.
The resolution, moved by planning committee chairperson Richard Hills and seconded by mayor Wayne Brown, departed from the staff recommendation, which had put forward Scenario B alone. It passed on a voice vote with councillor Christine Fletcher abstaining.
It came after Manurewa-Papakura councillor Daniel Newman moved an earlier amendment to replace Scenario B with the more stripped-back Scenario A entirely.
That amendment, seconded by councillor Matt Winiata, was defeated 12 to 10.
The two scenarios now heading to consultation differ in scope.
Scenario A, described as "essentials only", would limit the plan change to what the Government legally requires, enabling capacity for between 1.4 and 1.6 million dwellings.
It would concentrate changes to about 13% of Auckland's urban area, council staff said.
Scenario B, labelled "further elective intensification", would go further by retaining six-storey apartment zoning along busy bus corridors within roughly 10km of the CBD and allowing buildings of up to 10 and 15 storeys near inner train stations on all rail lines.
The option also introduces intensification around other smaller, local centres.
It would enable capacity for between 1.5 and 1.7 million homes and affect about 15% of the city. Both figures sit above the Government's new minimum floor of 1.4 million dwellings but well below the minimum of two million originally planned.
Under both scenarios, about 85% of Auckland's residential land would see no change from existing zoning rules except for legally mandated up-zoning, council planners said.
Those mandated legal rules included six-storey apartment up-zoning around town centres and train and busway stations, with 10 to 15 storeys on five Western line train stations.
A final decision on plan change amendments is expected in late July, with a further round of submissions to follow before the plan goes to an independent hearings panel.
The Government slashed Auckland's housing capacity requirement earlier this year, after Housing Minister Chris Bishop initially flagged a reduction to 1.6 million in February before Parliament legislated the lower figure in March.
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