Rare piece of undeveloped Tauranga, Mount Maunganui commercial land up for sale

A rare piece of undeveloped commercial land in Mount Maunganui is up for sale. Photo / Supplied

A rare piece of undeveloped commercial land in central Mount Maunganui is up for sale.

Two freehold sites on the corner of Rata St and Nikau Cres will be auctioned on May 1 through Bayleys Tauranga.

Real estate agents say potential buyers will have the opportunity to build up to 12m high on the 1867sq m commercial section.

Bayleys Tauranga commercial manager Mark Walton said there had been plenty of demand for commercial office space in the Mount.

"There are limited opportunities in commercial land in the Mount. Anything that does come up is heavily in demand," he said.

Walton said the Rata St/Nikau Cres block had the potential to be developed into a combination of retail, accommodation and commercial office space.

"It is probably one of the only sites remaining in the Mount close to the CBD that is under-developed. It is a blank canvas for someone," he said.

"[It is] a very rare opportunity when something of this calibre becomes available."

Real estate agents say potential buyers will have the opportunity to build up to 12 metres high on the 1867sqm commercial section. Photo / Supplied

Bayleys Tauranga salesman Lloyd Davidson said the land opposite the Port of Tauranga offered an "excellent blank canvas" development opportunity.

"Design configurations for any new building on the Rata/Nikau site could easily factor in retail units at street level, with commercial floors above," he said.

"Or a boutique hotel to accommodate passengers either embarking on to cruises calling in at Tauranga, or terminating their journey at the port."

Davidson said the Mount's retail environment and the wider Bay of Plenty tourism sector had benefited from the growth in cruise ship visits.

Two freehold sites on the corner of Rata St and Nikau Crescent will be auctioned on May 1 through Bayleys Tauranga. Photo / Supplied

"Such sector activity provides the obvious economic foundations for the future potential use of the Rata St/Nikau Cres site and its most likely tenancies," he said.

Bayleys Tauranga saleswoman Sarah Schouwenburg said the site previously housed the head office for what became the Owens Group.

"At that time, this was the main base for the original stevedore business that managed the beginnings of the NZ log and timber trade to Japan," she said.

Tourism Bay of Plenty's Kath Low said first impressions counted for "a lot" when visiting a destination for the first time.

"If there is a development which will enhance the visitor experience and also provide a service to locals then that is great," she said.

Mayor Greg Brownless agreed the site had huge potential for development and said many commercial sites were being snapped up as the population increased.

Tauranga City Council acting regulatory and compliance general manager Ray Day said there were several development opportunities provided for in the commercial zone, including retail, offices, hotels and residential apartments.

WHO OWNED THAT SITE?
Current owner: Maritime Pacific Ltd – since January 2005
Previous owners: Bemsure Holdings (2000) - from 1999 to 2005

Sales data for large blocks of bare land purchased in Mount Maunganui over the past nine months shows:
- 2118sq m of land at nearby 2 Rata St sold for a per square metre rate of $2630, while 800sq m of land at 33 Totara St sold for a per square metre rate of $3870.

Source: Bayleys Tauranga