6 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Domain Holdings T TSue Russell Conversion to a thriving commercial-industrial site A 40ha block of farmland adjacent to the Buttermilk industrial site was rezoned from farming to industrial. Sam Wulff holds much positive energy toward South Waikato town Putaruru. He’s demonstrated this commitment through a number of investments, leading he hopes to greater things to come for the town and its people. Along with fellow property developer Dave Macfarlane, Domain Holdings, has been instrumental in the establishment of two subdivisions in the town and the transformation of an old saw-mill into a thriving commercial/industrial site affectionately called ‘Buttermilk’. “When the chance came up to buy the site both Dave and I could sense its potential. We’re not only about creating affordable quality homes for people to live in but also keen on enabling opportunities for businesses to establish, and in so doing open up other employment options for its citizens,” says Sam. Since Business Central last spoke with Sam about a year ago, he said not a great deal of further development had taken place apart from some internal development of the industrial site and the building of four houses for sale in the newer Scotia Glen subdivision. Constructed using light guage steel framing manufactured by Green Frame, another business Sam and Dave own. Sam admits the timing of building the homes wasn’t perfect. “We hit the market in the depth of the recession but property developers are ever-optomistic and Dave and I wanted to make a statement of positivity and to support some of the local builder community while things were quiet.” Sam says when South Waikato District Council consulted on the region’s 10 year district plan, Domain Holdings inputted, culminating in quite a few smaller pockets of land opening up for future development. “A 40ha block of farmland adjacent to our ‘Buttermilk’ industrial site was rezoned from farming to industrial. Land prices around this part of the Waikato are quite competitive and make investment in them economically viable from a developers point of view, and ultimately a tenant’s too, especially those requiring a larger land area. This newly rezoned 40ha block has SH 1 along one boundary, but a far more practical access point was through our adjacent Buttermilk site, creating easy access to the provincial roading network, making its future development into industrial sites way more practical for potential businesses interested in establishing in the area. “We were happy to engage with Council and sell them the land required for the access way as we could see the benefits that this would bring.” Some interesting businesses have seized the opportunity to move into Buttermilk, including a company that practices Yakisugi, a traditional japanese technique of charring cedar boards, burnishing the burnt results with sandpaper and wire brushes and sealing the charred surface with natural oil. The wood is essentially preserved and is highly sought-after as an architectural medium. Currently a couple of vacancies exist in Buttermilk and Sam says he’s been pleased with what the precinct is achieving for the township, with over 100 people employed on the site today. “It’s great to see an old vacant site transform into spaces for businesses to lease. This is all part of helping the town grow.” A building site waste recycling business, ‘Hanson Resource Recycling,’ has been relocated from Buttermilk to a more isolated site enabling that business to develop well, while another industrial site owned by Dave and Sam is located just around the corner from Buttermilk and currently has four larger tenants, with room for another large scale operator to establish themselves on the 1.8ha vacant portion. A 16ha block once owned by Domain Holdings has been sold to retirement village developer, Tim Bartells, who has large-scale aspirations to eventually build upward of 500 retirement units. Sam says one thing Putaruru really needs is a large-scale modern supermarket. “The town deserves it and is of an age where one is justified in my view. There’s something about a big supermarket that speaks to the growth potential of the town and I hope that one of the major players “It’s great to see an old vacant site transform into spaces for businesses to lease. This is all part of helping the town grow.” Ph 07 883 3198 office@nicholsonsurveying.co.nz Nicholson Surveying We are a local business serving the South Waikato with a wide range of survey and land development services. 021 817 819 | basicallylandscapingltd@hotmail.com SHED FLOORS • HOUSE FLOORS • CONCRETE DECKS • PATHWAYS m 9 Q __ comes to the party and commits. The old saying ‘Progress drives progress’ is certainly true.”
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