Potential good news in the Commercial property section of the Herald on Saturday:
Town centre could rise around new rail station
One of the biggest remaining parcels of development land in metropolitan Auckland is being promoted for sale as offering a chance to master-plan and develop a big mixed-use project around a major suburban transport hub.
The 5.8ha block of Mt Wellington land is on 14 titles at 81-107 Jellicoe Rd, 127-131 and 143 Pilkington Rd.
Located 9km south-east of the Auckland CBD, the land is zoned Business 4 and has a zoning of Mixed Use Tamaki Sub Precinct A under the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan.
“The property is located within the Tamaki Edge Precinct, which has been given the thumbs-up for commercial, transportation and residential redevelopment by the central government and Auckland Council,” says Peter Herdson of Colliers International who, with colleagues John Goddard and Jason Seymour, is marketing it for sale by private treaty closing at 4pm on November 6 unless it sells beforehand by negotiation.
The site is bounded on its western edge by the disused Tamaki Station on the Eastern Line, roughly equidistant from Panmure and Glen Innes Stations which are 2.2km apart. A new station here could be worth building so long as the new development is big enough to warrant it. Ideally this would mean working with more than this holding alone, especially taking the development across the rail line to the container storage yard and the go-cart track and perhaps more properties fronting Tainui Rd.
This would make the new station centred on a catchment of scale rather than being liminal to the site like the station down the line at Sylvia Park. Naturally this scale of development could be staged as sites became available, but it is important to plan at scale from the beginning. Any new development on the western side would offer the opportunity to improve access from the new and poorly connected Stonefields to the new Station, especially for walking and cycling.
Indicative plans for Tamaki Station show ground floor retail and hospitality premises, with apartment-styled dwellings on upper levels. Townhouses and multi-level apartments arranged around parks and green spaces are envisaged over the balance of the site. There have also been preliminary discussions around the development of a new Tamaki railway station to further boost the site’s connections to the wider Auckland region.
“It is envisaged to become a major transport hub with supporting retail, cafes, restaurants, key services and around 2000 higher-density homes,” Herdson says.
“The impetus for this came from the owner’s aspiration to enable the development of a mixed-use neighbourhood hub around a new station,” he says.
“This would provide a further transport link to the Auckland CBD, while benefiting from Auckland Council’s plan to significantly improve the bus and roading network immediately around the site.”
Goddard says proposed zoning changes under the Unitary Plan make the site a most compelling opportunity for developers.
“The current owners have worked with Auckland Council to put in place proposed zoning changes that have effectively repositioned the property to a much higher-value end use than it can provide under its current zoning.”
However, the proposed zoning under the Unitary Plan enables intensive mixed commercial and residential development on the land, retail of up to 4500sq m in combined gross floor area and height up to 16.5m.
“This increased planning flexibility afforded to the property opens up its potential uses significantly – handing the new owner multiple options to create a new, staged, mixed-use precinct that will become an attractive and convenient place to live near to shops, cafes and a vastly-improved transport infrastructure.”
This area is one of the best opportunities for real mixed used urban development on the existing Rapid Transit network within the city. This line will be running the new electric trains at ten minute frequencies from the the end of the year. Because of existing landuse constraints only really New Lynn, Morningside, and Onehunga offer similar upzoning potential for future TODs [Transit Oriented Development].
But it has to be done well. And much better than recent examples, like Stonefields, which is not mixed use nor well connected, nor like the big-box centres going up on the fringes of the city now to the north and north-west. And Auckland Transport’s traffic engineers will have to restrained from insisting on swamping the area with over-scaled place ruining roading, as they did in New Lynn.
So how to do it? There are a number of ways this could be structured to expedite a high quality outcome at this location.
- A private developer working closely with Council through the Unitary Plan. But only very big players could take this on.
- A private development with Housing NZ buying or leasing a proportion of dwellings from the outset. Say 20-30%, this gives some certainty to the developer and funders. Also best practice for social housing is to distribute dwellings throughout the whole city rather than to build or manage concentrations in clumps and government has announced it is rebalancing HNZ’s property portfolio.
- A PPP with Council Properties CCO. Wouldn’t it be great to get a more active property department at Council? But then would likely be undercapitalised so would probably need to work closely with the private sector, which would probably be a good thing.
- A de-aggregatted development like Vinegar Lane in Ponsonby where a big redevelopment is masterplaned but then sites are sold to individual holders to build but within the intensively structure conditions. This spreads the funding burden and increases building variation within a controlled plan. I wrote about this last year. And as buildings are now about to start going up there I will do new post on it soon.
With a well scaled development here then an additional station on the line would almost certainly be good thing but it is important to consider the impact this would have on the network. All network design seeks to strike a balance between speed, which means making as few stops as possible, and connectivity, which favours more. So yes another stop would slow the journeys of other users, especially poor for those from further out commuting into the city.
Well happily soon this line will only be operating as far as Manukau City, as Pukekohe and Papakura trains will all be travelling via Newmarket from later this year. But also increasingly we are seeing the rail system in general change both in use and design from a soley Commuter Rail style system to more of a Metro one. This means becoming less focussed on peak commutes from dormitory suburbs to the city centre and, while still serving this core task, also offering all day high frequencies across all lines in both directions for many other types of journeys.
However those longer journeys are still among the most valuable services that the rail network provide as they substitute long car trips so perhaps the best way to manage the speed/connectivity balance is to skip an underused station elsewhere on the network like Westfield, so the net speed cost for longer journeys is zero, and the connectivity and access benefits of the new station are without a network time burden for most.
Potentially this is a very good opportunity for the whole city as it should spark regeneration in a area ready for it and with potential for more, while also offering more variety to our dwelling stock both in terms of location [not ex-urban], connectivity [a Rapid Transit TOD], and price point [not in Ponsonby or Orakei, so the land cost must be lower].
And therefore housing and movement more choice for more people.
Processing...
I really hope they create a successful TOD example.
The 16.5m height restriction still a bit low in a transport hub.
I doubt the new residence buying luxury apartments would want to live along with HNZ jobless people.
Hi Kelvin I think building ‘luxury apartments’ here is not the aim, nor the right market segment that the site warrants, nor what is needed in Auckland now. Like I say this will be different from the Ponsonby and Orakei developments underway. What is needed is decent, affordable, or more affordable, well designed and connected dwellings with as much local amenity as possible and this looks like a good site for it.
The idea of HNZ taking a proportion of the dwellings for their tenants would need to be done well. It does work else where, like in Melbourne for example, and the key is for them to be a minor quantity, say 20-30%, and distributed throughout the area, and the city. It should completely normalise the state tenants instead of ghetto-ise them. It can be done in a way that supports the development with guaranteed sales and places HNZ’s people into a good new dwellings in an ordinary way.
Erm, Addison/Takanini Village comes to mind… And yet no train station exists dispite the “free” offer to build the staton from the developers.
The same argument could be the made for Addison/Southern Takanini- ie. Substitute Te Mahia with Glenora/Tironui Station
Having said all of this there is no station dispite the area having been (and still is) a hot bed of development, residentially, recreationally, commercially and for light industry (not to mention being a SHA)….
Things are moving on that issue i believe, but very slowly. Largely of course as there is no money for rail capital works and even if the developer contributes to a station there will be other costs. It’ll be all wrapped up in the third main, Kiwi Rail wanting everyone else to fund anything having no capex budget of their own, and so on.
Yes youd be right things are happening on that front. Apparently the devolper has sold off the land for the proposed Glenora station in disgust at the whole process, leaving only the resurrection of the old site of Tironui station as an alternative (which was pulled down circa 2003- fantastic foresight huh?). Apparently it looks like the old divide and conquor tactic as the local board want what was the Glenora station and AT are saying that Tironui Station is the only option…
This proposed idea sounds almost as good as the Glenora/Takanini proposition, but with the way the powers that be are, I’d be very surprised if any station materialised from any development, even if it were offered for “free” and had an overwhelming case.
The only possible location for a Glenora station that complies with KiwiRail’s standards for minimum distance from Walters Rd level crossing means that the station would be located behind the retail units on Great South Rd with very poor access and visibility so creating personal security issues for passengers. Also it would be less than 1km from Takanini and so would be likely to cannibalise patronage from Takanini
Similarly the Tamaki station proposal is not supported by AT officers as it is too close to Panmure and Glen Innes
“Kiwi Rail wanting everyone else to fund anything having no capex budget of their own, and so on”
KiwiRail was willing to fund approximately 60% of the third main, but AT refused to allocate any funding at all. KiwiRail has since reallocated their share to other projects.
So third main opportunity lost, because AT didn’t want to fund it.
One small point: The eastern Line trains won’t be on a 10 minute frequency. As mentioned by a Train Control Officer elsewhere today, the new timetable is a work of fiction. The frequencies will be more like 3, 12, 7, 21, 2, 16, 14, 4…….
There used to be a station at this site and from Google Maps, it appears the tracks still bulge around the previous island platform. The developer should be able to get a height change as the only neighbours are warehouses. Tamaki Station would provide train access to much of the existing Glen Innes/Panmure state housing area and perhaps to the factories/warehouses in Morrin Rd.
Maybe the old volcanic viewshaft issues gets in the way again. Could do something quite decent at 3-4 stories though.
16.5 allows a good 5 storeys. 3m is pretty good for residential including structure.
Except the rule has a 16.5 metre AND a 4 storey limit. Given there are so few places where intensification is allowed, and even fewer on a rail line where there are no issues with neighbours, we should be allowing as much height here as possible.
Madness. Height fright gone fully cray in the Unitary Plan process.
4 storeys is the worst of both worlds. Developers won’t get the break even point for margin. Also the open space will be limited.
I don’t suspect that will survive the hearings process – it creates a permitted baseline for development that subverts the wording of the rule. It appears the “and 4 storeys” would create more of a consideration with regards to the intensity of use, rather than physical height.
Or put it at a vaguely sensible limit of ten stories and then allow the view shafts to chop through that.
Some history on the station in a LINZ Geographic Place Names report
http://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/files/docs/placenames/submission-reports/nzgb-proposal-report-glen-innes-tamaki-panmure-railway-stations-20100803.pdf
Thanks for the link Bryan. Fascinating, and Marama is such a lovely and powerful word meaning among other things, i think, light and moon.
Can we also reinstate the name Tamaki Station Rd for the road that leads downs to the station. For some reason they changed this to jellicoe rd a few years ago. It was an original part of the garden suburb concept; people enjoying the benefits of a garden suburb while being able to easily commute to the city via the station. It was also a marker of the start of the suburb of tamaki, which is now unfortunately being left off maps on the assumption that it has been absorbed into panmure.
“It was also a marker of the start of the suburb of tamaki, which is now unfortunately being left off maps on the assumption that it has been absorbed into panmure.”
Which is odd as the entire area is known as The “Tamaki” electorate and has been for 50+ years.
There are lots of disambiguations for tamaki
– the national electorate you mention is now north of west tamaki rd i.e. st heliers, glendowie etc.
– the electorate is now maungakiekie for this area.
Tamaki is used as a general term to cover the whole area south of west tamaki rd and to around panmure. This is the legal definition of tamaki as per the tranformation company, which has transformed little in the 4 years it has existed. It includes glen innes, pt England, panmure, AND the old suburb of tamaki although this is left off the maps and regulations covering the company. Its more convenient to imagine tamaki as a suburb doesn’t exist so it can use the name for the area
– As per the nz geographic board, the suburb of tamaki is south of boundary reserve, north of Stewart ave and then tamaki station rd, and east of the train line, hence tamaki primary, and the old tamaki rugby club. It started off as tamaki heights (garden suburb), evolved into tamaki, and for various reasons to do with social decline some people have chosen to associate themselves with panmure and vice versa. Similarly, glen innes used to start south of riddell rd, and slowly splurged south.
(sorry for multiple posts, scrolling problems on iPad )
The trackes were straightened as part of the AEP.
Now I might be wrong on this, but the kart track is on the move – the club, that is. There was talk of them moving out to a combined Auckland raceway between the two 09 clubs (Auckland & Mt. Wellington) at some point but I don’t know what came of it. It’s a shame though as almost every Kiwi motor racing star of the modern era cut their teeth around that track.
Are the buildings themselves protected? Weren’t they built during WWII?
Not sure if they’re protected, but would be good to keep a few. Beautiful heart native timber beams. Go to the Bali cane furniture shop on the corner and look around. Camp Bunn was an American base. When tamaki was market gardens there was a cannery in the buildings and a service depot for vehicles (Sylvia park was for materiel and munitions). After the war it was used as a base for returning soldiers resettling into state houses in the area.
No more stations. A new station here will mean slower services meaning people will be less likely to take the train. Unless a third line goes in to allow express services this idea should be shelved. Rail should be looking to compete with road, not the long gone horse and dray.
Westfield is being closed so itll be station neutral in that regard
I think Te Mahia is closing too?
The unitary plan calls this a sub precinct for around 9000 people? Plus 7000 in stonefields and up to 5000 in the immediate area. Growth of this sort is only desirable if it’s not accompanied by cars. So there needs to be a station for it to work.
No decision has yet been taken on Westfield or Te Mahia closure
Or AT bite the bullet and look at mixing stopper/non-stopping services which can be done to a limited extent even with current infrastructure. Sure, there are pro’s and con’s with this, but the proposed end-to-end journey times are already longer than they should be, through insisting that everything stops everywhere.
“No more stations. A new station here will mean slower services meaning people will be less likely to take the train.”
…except for the thousands of extra people who would get to live right next to a new station a few minutes by train from the city, Silvia Park and many other places. They would have faster trips (compared to if they all lived out on the fringe), and would be far more likely to use the train.
Definitely net positive outcome. One minute extra for some existing travellers who are already saving heaps of time over driving, to get thousands more people with even shorter trips.
This is a massive opportunity for a quality TOD to drive use of the rail network and regeneration of the broader Tamaki/GI area.
Let’s make it happen and let’s make it great. Let’s back the local board and AC to make sure the development is quality, push AT to get the train station reopened, and push AT more to get the links to Stonefields improved. Let’s not miss this opportunity.
I agree, as I say in the post, If the dev is good enough the station is warranted. The line sped for longer travellers can be maintained by closing Westfield which seems to be simply for the convenience of K R staff there.
Heights should be reviewed, upwards, and timbers from the existing sheds salvaged. I can’t see a downside.
+1
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?BU=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/maps/mapskey.htm&QF0=NZ%20map%20number&QI0=2016&MR=1&TN=maps&RF=FullHTML&RL=0&NP=2&AC=QBE_QUERY
Back to the future, 14 mins by rail to the city
Great find. Yes exactly, late, but it really ought to happen now. And buy one now, like what the CRL will do to property out west, these ‘garden suburb’ properties will get a big up value through a station and new intensive development around it….
That whole block from Panmure Station to GI station (and north) should really take off once CRL is built and the new EMU running patterns are put in place.
But in practise, maybe not – as they’ve built and will continue building a pseudo-motorway all the way up the western side of the railway line between Van Dammes Lagoon (south of Panmure) all the way through to GI – thus further entrenching the severance issues in the area for another 100 years and ensureing any development remains on the GI/Tamaki side of the tracks.
Any Tamaki Station built needs good connection both sides of the rails to its immediate TOD.
And Stonefields to some extent, although its too far from Tamaki Station to benefit, as for most Stonefields residents, GI station will remain closer than any Tamaki Station will be even if the most direct route to Tamaki Station is built as part of the TOD.
Depending on where in stonefields you are the two stations are fairly equidistant. But, stonefields to Tamaki station is flat glorious flat, and to get to GI it’s a very steep and repelling incline up the tuft of a former volcano.
A new Tamaki station looks significantly closer to me… so long as the routes are improved, especially on a bike.
Patrick,
Looks are deceiving, from the corner of College Road and Stonefields Ave (about as close to the start of Stonefields as you can get), which is the intersection where the Pub and what passes for the “shopping centre” are located on.
It is then 1.1Km from the “old” Tamaki Stn platform by the shortest and most direct route which is across the container park and through Homestead Ave – which is actually fenced off from Stonefields by fence at the end and there are properties built right up to that boundary in Stonefields – so no route for a cycleway/walkway to be put through there.
From the Pub corner to GI Station platform along Morrin/Merton Road is 1.25Km, so its 150 metres difference – a not particularly “significant” difference over the distance say 12%?.
It is as Tamaki says an uphill climb from there to Merton Road and then down to the station entrance near the rail overbridge (about a total of 15-20 m of up then down gradient over that journey length so lets says its about a 2% grade).
Its mostly flatish from there to Tamaki station (slight uphill and downhill – about a 5m/0.5% grade over all) from there.
But this shortest/direct route to Tamaki Stn platform doesn’t exist, and using the roads as they exist now makes for a longer journey than 1.2Km.
And since the Homestead drive option is basically blocked off the only option is to go on-road via College Road.
“Because of existing landuse constraints only really New Lynn, Morningside, and Onehunga offer similar upzoning potential for future TODs [Transit Oriented Development].”
Greenlane also has potential with the surrounding block up zoned however existing property prices being generaly between $900k and $1.4million would need deep pockets for redevelopment assuming you need a few existing properties for each new development.