The Zespri site on Maunganui Road is on the market after the council handed the account over to the real estate industry.

The council is selling about 8100m2 of the 1.5 hectare site following a public submissions process.

The Zespri site. Photo: Supplied.

The land is for sale by private treaty on Thursday October 1. Viewings by appointment.

Marketing agents are Bayleys Tauranga.

The sale process is the result of the tenant Zespri Ltd approaching the council in September 2014, seeking some of the green space at the southern end of the block for temporary office space.

Zespri's Mount Maunganui offices are over-capacity and they need temporary office accommodation while we work on a longer-term solution, a spokesman said at the time.

When contacted the kiwifruit marketer was unable to add much more. It's still looking at its future needs.

Zespri remains committed to Tauranga as its New Zealand base. The Bay of Plenty grows around 80 per cent of New Zealand's export kiwifruit and the industry accounts for around one-quarter of the region's GDP.

'With the volume of export kiwifruit set to increase dramatically in the next few years, it's important we have sufficient resourcing to manage the increased volumes of fruit.”

Tauranga City Council then sought public opinion before deciding to sell only part of the block and keep the library and day care centre.

The decision also keeps 3,500m2 of land for greenspace, but that may be moved up next to the library.

The height restriction is 12 metres or about four stories, which councillors agreed in June would be best kept to the north of the building to avoid excessive shading.

The council has gone to the open market because that is council practice, says Mayor Stuart Crosby.

'We would only engage with a current tenant if they were issues like the Glasgow lease where it made sense if someone who owned the building was offered it first, or if it was a neighbour and it was a small piece of land, it just made sense that they had the option first,” says Stuart.

'But in terms of our Zespri site it has always been our intention to go to the market and Zespri if they wish, will have to bid alongside everybody else.

'What we have done is we are retaining the library, we are retaining an open space and we are looking to sell a portion of the land. I believe we have landed a good mix that the community will be relatively happy with.

'With the open land degree of flexibility there as to where the open space may end up. So we are just going to look at all options.”

Zespri is still in same position. It is looking at a range of sites for a long term office, and the current site in Maunganui Rd is one of them, a spokesperson says.

Bayleys Tauranga manager Dickie Burman says the price; 'Is whatever someone is prepared to pay.”

The site is being offered freehold or leasehold, which gives two options for buyers.