Re: Murray Guy's comment on parking issues in the Tauranga CBD. Murray's comment on Sunlive has told it exactly how it happened. His comment said Tauranga City Council removed the requirement for CBD developers to contribute to the parking needs they created back in 2011 or so, on the advice of staff that '… the CBD had an oversupply of parking which would meet the needs of the CBD for some years”.
The removal of the parking Development Impact Fee was also to assist attracting the proposed hotel and University at the cost of ratepayers. In addition to the removal of the DIF, council has removed significant parking opportunities from the waterfront area and surrounding streets. TCC has also given away the parking area opposite the ‘new' TrustPower building to advance the university at ratepayer cost.
The results of the advice above from staff has
slowly eaten away at the financial viability of
businesses in the CBD and the sudden influx of TrustPower staff requiring parking will ruin even more people's livelihoods.
TrustPower people, like almost all others, only have between 30 minutes and one hour for lunch so their spending isn't going to be the saviour of the CBD.
We desperately need more conveniently-placed carparks now. Reinstatement of the Waterfront carparking would be the perfect and most cost-effective place to start.
I think the council needs to start afresh and the first move is to ask for the resignation of those staff who were in the front line pushing, against public opinion, to reduce the number of carparks. More damage to the CBD has been done in the last four years than any time before. If they are not removed I would suggest there will be a large number of councillors following Mayor Stuart Crosby in retreat at the upcoming elections. And I for one will do my best to see that happen. Remember, the demise of the CBD is not the fault of the businesses.

B Campbell, Tauranga City.