The University of Auckland has conditionally agreed to purchase the former Lion Breweries site in the central city as it prepares to expand to meet a growing student roll.
The 5.2 hectare site in Newmarket was chosen as its size and location is such that it will cater to the university's predicted growth over the next 30 to 50 years.
"This is really a long term positioning for the university around consolidating its campus' in the city... we really see this as protecting the university's development path," Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon told NZ Newswire.
The new site could replace both the Epsom and Tamaki campus' in years to come.
The university needs to acquire about 6000 metres of floor space every year to meet growth demand.
If the sale is finalised, the university plans to use the site for a mixed use campus, with teaching and research facilities, student accommodation and business development.
The first building - an engineering research facility - would be complete by December 2014.
A final decision over whether the university will purchase the site will be made by the University Council in April next year.
The purchase price and conditions of the sale have not been revealed.
Lion Breweries - now Lion - occupied the site for about 150 years until they relocated to East Tamaki in October 2010.
The site is owned by Great Northern Developments, which had planned a multi-use construction project including apartments. Great Northern was a venture between AMP Capital NZ and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
They had agreed to pay Lion $162 million for the site in 2007 before the global financial crisis dried up credit and had made an initial deposit of $50 million, National Business Review reported at the time.
AMP Capital subsequently wrote off its share of the project.
NZN