Phoenix deal not done

The Phoenix urban park, version 3. Photo: LandLAB.

Stakeholders came away from an exclusive viewing of the latest iteration of the Phoenix Park plan bad mouthing the plan and council staff for ignoring what they say are real concerns about access to the Mount Maunganui downtown area.

Mount Mainstreet board chair Jane Debenham says emotions were running pretty high at the meeting and the board itself has written to the council stating it will not support the project in its present form.

'Mid last year, the board were told by Mayor Stuart Crosby and (then) strategic planner Cheryl Steiner the project was going ahead regardless, and we were just going to have to work with the council on it.

'Then everything seemed to come to a halt and we heard nothing anymore, and it evolved again - now under the city development team, another team of people, more designers.”

The latest design by LandLAB is the third design. The board and retailers the parking and transport issues are wider than replacing the 55 carparks that will be lost to the Phoenix Park.

Transport manger Martin Parkes found 58 replacement carparks, 32 of them by making Nikau Cresent one way, and adding angle parking. It's extra parking the downtown Mount would love to have, even without the Phoenix Park.

'We need them, but we have been told flat we won't be getting those carparks if this project does not go ahead,” says Jane.

'It's a massive problem. We are strung out. There's no more parking available, any event you just can't get in.

'Last week when that major container ship came in we were just basically grid locked, you couldn't move, because people want to come down and see it. The same with cruise ships.

'There's just no more parking and we are growing at the expense of Tauranga. The strand used to be the eat street of Tauranga. Once the council closed all those parks on the reclamation area and told people to walk to their restaurants, what's happened? They have all come over here.

'This carpark's (Phoenix) absolutely choker at night, because it's safe, it's close, people can walk to their restaurant of choice and get back to their cars safely.”

Ward Councillor and former Mount Mainstreet manager Leanne Brown says more discussion is needed.

'Transportation and parking simultaneously, those two things are really important,” says Leanne.

'If they can fix those two issues, from my perspective I felt that most people in the room would be happy for the urban greenspace to go ahead, but not yet because they are really still feeling precious about the 55 parks.”

A proposal for a previous one way system for the downtown Mount was rejected by the retailers because the then council wanted the retailers to pay for it through a levy on rates, when the works were also for the benefit of the wider community, says Leanne.

Council planning staff also want the businesses to look more closely at better use of the parking available in the service lanes behind the Maunganui Road shopping centre.

'If you looked at the rear of a lot of shops and businesses there's potential there for formalize carparking for staff and customers,” says Leanne.

A three hour time limit on parking in Pilot Bay and Marine Parade with also improve turn-over of traffic and with that will come sustainability, says Leanne.

The problems at the Mount were put in perspective by one of the Auckland based planners and a property owner.

'They both said; ‘You guys are worried because there's nowhere for your customers to park and there's so much congestion. That's a good problem to have. Lots of town centres would envy that problem'.

'I'm very passionate about this project, have been right from the start. I think we have some more work to do. I don't think it's yes/no yet.”

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6 comments

Leanne Brown

Posted on 14-10-2016 12:54 | By FunandGames

More discussion is pointless if council is not prepared to listen. And the refusal to alter Nikau Street without the Phenix plans just makes the council look childish. This would be funny if it wasn't so serious. So Leanne what are you going to do?


3 hour time limit

Posted on 14-10-2016 14:11 | By CC8

That is just as selfish , where do customers for day charter/fishing cruises , which leave from Pilot Bay wharf or Salisbury Wharf park? Or are the charter boats not part of the Mount business scene? Also it probably takes 3 hours or more for most families/people to climb Mauao and enjoy the day/view , rather than having to bust a boiler making sure they are back to the car to avoid a fine....Using the serice lanes as car parks is juat going to further clog the place when trucks and vans cannot get through....Many businesses already do have formalised parking on private property behind the shops, use Google Maps set on satellite! Nikau Cres is miles away , very few shoppers would bother...I can see an empty section in Victoria Road near the church, and a largely empty carpark betweenthepolicestationandtheport


Leave well alone!

Posted on 14-10-2016 15:14 | By Mackka

If it is not 'broken' - why try to fix it - with the threat of 'breaking' it looming large! We have a Mayor with common sense now - go ask him!


Add to your list

Posted on 14-10-2016 16:37 | By Taffy

Another item to add to your list Mr Brownless to sort out. At this rate you,ll be busy rectifying all the previous council stuff ups you might get to your wish list sometime next year.


Who was conned?

Posted on 14-10-2016 20:09 | By Accountable

The Mount retailers were convinced by Councillor Leanne Brown, as the then Mount Mainstreet manager to go with the Councils plan for the removal of the Phoenix car parking and now she is scrambling to justify her previous position on the issue. Can she be now trusted to act in the best interests of the Mount people? There is obviously a lot of doubt and so there should be when you see the destruction of the parking the Councils Transport Manager, Martin Parkes and his able assistants have inflicted on the businesses in the CBD. It is imperative that the Council has ample and most importantly, suitable to the retailers, alternative car parking before they start any removals from the Phoenix car park.I think now is the time for businesses in the CBD and the Mount to join forces and to work towards making the Council accountable.


@Accountable -you hit the nail on the head

Posted on 15-10-2016 20:40 | By ROCCO

So if CR. Brown previously plugged for this inane TCC scheme (Peter Melgren certainly did not) why did the Mounties re-elect her for gods sake- lesson learned ?


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