Recently I have gone through the latest Agenda of the City Centre Advisory Board and found some very interesting items. I will endeavour to post updates from Agenda’s in the future if anything new pops up as I think many of you will be interested, as it contains updates on the upgrades that are funded by the City Centre Targeted Rate, including projects from the City Centre Masterplan.

The first item of note is from the March meeting which has attached the latest budget for the City Centre Targeted Rate

City Centre Targeted Rate Budget

So what is coming up 2017/2018:

  1. The completion of the Freyberg place upgrade
  2. Myers Park Upgrade
  3. More Britomart streetscape upgrades
  4. Karangahape Road Upgrade
  5. Stage 1 of the upgrade of Hobson/Nelson Streetscape tying into the construction of the Convention Centre
  6. Stage 2 of the Federal Street Laneway between Wellesley St & Mayoral

So when are some of the big named projects to be funded:

  1. Federal Street extension to Fanshawe Street – 2020 – 2022
  2. Quay Street Boulevard – 2024 – 2025
  3. Hobson Street Flyover Removal – 2024 – 2025
  4. High Street – 2023 – 2024

The updates for April are:

  1. Britomart Streetscapes – Stage 2: Galway Street (east) is planned for completion in June.
  2. Ellen Melville Centre and Freyberg Place Upgrade is in progress.
  3. Myers Park Upgrade – Stage 2 is going to be re-tendered.
  4. Karangahape Road Streetscape Enhancement and Cycleway – Further engagement will happen later this year.
  5. Federal Street upgrade – Stage 2 tender has been released.
  6. Hobson and Nelson Street upgrade construction to potentially start this year or early 2018.

Some of these great projects, however, feel so far away I wonder if anything could be done to accelerate them.

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27 comments

    1. It is a list of future work, outside of time travel how on earth do you expect to have the results already?

      Visit O’Connell St for an example of (almost) completed work.

    2. Can you elaborate on your comment? In particular how you define a “clear result”?

      From what I understand the targeted rate has funded many improvements in the city centre, perhaps most notably the Queen Street upgrade and shares spaces.

      As someone who has owned a property in the central city, and paid this rate for approximately a decade, I am very happy with the results thus far.

      1. Weird, I replied before and it hasn’t appeared. Matrix

        Clear results would be:
        -> greater ped numbers
        -> improved satisfaction (would require baseline surveys before/after intervention)
        -> improved cleanliness (litter surveys)
        -> improved transport speeds for peds/cycles/transit i.e. easier to get from A to B walking
        -> reduced crime through CPTED

        For example, right now AT should be surveying people about Vic St so if the linear park goes in they have good solid data about satisfaction levels and can identify the impact of the intervention.

        1. Why are we doing this?
        2. How much benefit do we need?
        3. How much will that cost?

        1. Fort Street; five ticks.

          -> greater ped numbers
          -> improved satisfaction (would require baseline surveys before/after intervention)
          -> improved cleanliness (litter surveys)
          -> improved transport speeds for peds/cycles/transit i.e. easier to get from A to B walking
          -> reduced crime through CPTED

        2. May I see the data? And were these anticipated benefits specified ex ante – or as often happens, were positive results simply collated post facto?

    3. Actually on all available economic data the CBD upgrades are having major results. Auckland makes up one third of the NZ economy and nearly two thirds of the growth. More than one quarter of Auckland jobs and job growth are in the city. City job growth and population growth have been much faster than the region average. Auckland city subsidises the suburbs, not vice versa. In fact, it supports the whole country.

  1. To accelerate some projects, does the council think about the public private model use for mission bay?

    For example, the private land owner wish to upgrade their store front street, they could fund part of it and ask council for the grant – The condition to get the grant is the improvement must add value to nearby general public.

    Since the improvement is managed privately, it will be cost efficient.

  2. Serious question, why the heck has Freyberg place taken so damn long to upgrade? It’s as if they workers were on an hourly wage!

    1. and is this the third or fourth time they’ve ‘upgraded’ Freyberg?
      will they finally get it right? (which assumes they got it wrong previously)

  3. good to see federal st pt2 starting to progress – i see a tender for concept designs was called for back in march.

    i just hope that they do something about the multistorey carpark accessed from this part of federal, or else it’ll be just like the gridlocked sky city section. and that access from vincent onto federal for people walking and on bikes is enhanced – this is a really busy little stretch of street, that could be great, done right.

  4. Hobson Street flyover is to go? Fantastic; that is some abomination and ruining what could/should be a nice part of town.

    1. Pretty in ain’t but it works and well compared what was there before, one of the few bits of road in dowtown that does.

      1. Doesn’t work well though with the future Fanshawe St Urban Busway so if it can’t go because place making it can go because it won’t work with that.

  5. That Freyberg Place design could have some more steps. There is a big flat part at the front where they haven’t put any.

    1. I wish they would think BIG and place rows of concrete blocks across bottom of Queen Street and also just below Victoria St across Queen. Then get on with the job of pedestrianizing, green zoning, all of lower Queen.

  6. Does anyone know what is planned for Federal Street to Fanshawe? I live on lower Fed and I’d be interested to know what they have planned.

    1. The shared space would be extended all the way down so it will all look like Elliot or Fort its a project I think should be top of the list as it could transform that part of the City Centre.

    2. I think you will find that it will be a continuation of what occurs for the current Federal project underway design-wise btw Wellesley and Mayoral, although there may be better cycling provision between from Victoria street northwards along Federal.
      Many of the Targeted Rate projects close to CRL works have been deferred, and other projects not so impacted by CRL works in other parts of the city, brought forward. TR5 and TR6 reflect that.

  7. “Hobson Street Flyover Removal – 2024 – 2025”
    I know that’s been on Ludo’s wishlist for a decade, but when did council confirm it was actually going to happen? What is their masterplan for that area? I must have missed it.
    (I presume it’s tied to the ‘Quay Street Boulevard – 2024 – 2025’ but ditto on missing that confirmation too. Anyone got a link?)

    1. On most people’s wish list but not everyone’s. The possibility of another Vic St Linear Park-type conflict is a possibility. Probably why it is so far out in the Targeted Rate program….

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