How A Ready-Made Neighbourhood Was Built In Dunedin

Rose Drive is the brainchild of developer Craig Mitchell, who wanted to create a haven where the new residents can feel connected, safe and enjoy the old-school values of a traditional neighbourhood, with space and affordability not mutually exclusive concepts. Now, seven quality homes are ready and waiting for their new owners to move in and get to know their new neighbourhood and hopefully each other too.

Mitchell Developments has been part of the Dunedin homebuilding landscape for a decade, and Craig Mitchell says it's important to take an ethical approach as well as a financial one.

“When this piece of land became available we could have squeezed 24 sections on it, but we chose to only do 14, in a range of sizes. The houses themselves generally have three double bedrooms, a garage and ensuite as well as room for a garden, driveway and green space, and are priced in the first home buyer bracket. We’ve also included two two-bedroom apartments so we have an offering for people such as young couples starting out. We want people to have the option to afford a quality home,” he says.

Rose Drive has also been designed for aesthetics, with a focus on native plants and landscaping, and homes that are different, rather than built with a cookie-cutter approach.

“The idea was to create a neighbourhood with character straight away,” Craig says. “The houses have different colours and roof shapes and we’ve considered placement carefully - no one wants to feel like they’re living in a fishbowl, like it is in some subdivision developments. We’ve put a lot of thought into it”.