Proposed commercial redevelopment of Mount's Phoenix Carpark has always been doomed because the Tauranga City Council never delivers on private and public initiatives.

Even worse is Bain McDonald's, and followers, plan to convert the Phoenix carpark into open green space, transferring public parking about half a kilometre out to the ex-Mount Bowling Club and Nikau Crescent.
This scheme defies belief.

Go check out reserves at Coronation Park, Banks Ave, May St, on Marine Parade, at Pilot Bay and Mount Drury.

They're all within about 250 metres of the Phoenix carpark, and all are readily accessible to the public.

Mount Mainstreet, local businesses and the media are remiss in not doing their homework and encouraging this sort of planning.

It was Mr McDonald's interests which developed the commercial building adjoining the Mount Mainstreet offices (Phoenix carpark), and the new offices near the end of Shadelands Lane.

Both of these buildings, in my view, have on-site parking shortfalls.
On a recent Friday night, as is typically the case, I saw the whole Phoenix carpark was full, with little available parking on Maunganui Rd and Victoria Rd.
If council do away with the Phoenix site's carparking facility, another Tauranga CBD looms.

And, who is to pay for this project?
In a nutshell, it will be TCC ratepayers.
It's not ‘win win' - it is ‘lose lose'.

S Paterson, Arataki.