Tauranga’s CBD “is in crisis” with empty businesses and construction giving the perception it’s a “place to stay away from”.
That is the view of Downtown Tauranga board chairman Brian Berry who spoke at Tauranga City Council’s Finance, Strategy and Risk Committee meeting today.
Berry was presenting the six-monthly report for the organisation which represents and promotes CBD businesses.
“Our CBD is in crisis, and we collectively are trying to solve that in a timely timeframe,” Berry said.
“In the wider community, there’s a real perception problem. It’s been there for the last three to four years, that the CBD is a place to stay away from.”
He said parking costs and availability were challenging, but availability had improved with the reintroduction of paid parking in December last year.
“There are multiple vacant shops, it’s dead down there, problems with vagrants and so on.
“And with the various substantial developments getting under way or nearing completion, the situation’s only going to get worse in the near term.”
Construction of the $304 million civic precinct Te Manawataki O Te Papa was under way as well as several other construction projects including new council offices on Devonport Rd.
Berry said the organisation last week collated a list of 12 businesses that had recently closed or would be closing which was a “real issue” for the CBD.
There were currently 680 occupiable sites with 514 of them full and 166 either empty or under development according to Downtown Tauranga’s report to the council.
He said Downtown Tauranga promoted solutions for the issues with one of them being a park and ride to alleviate parking pressures and it was a “major frustration” that nothing had been achieved.
Other solutions Berry suggested included rates relief for the CBD businesses, especially retail businesses and for the council to put a hold on payments of licences to occupy for hospitality businesses.
Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley responded to the solutions raised by Berry and said the council was looking at the licences to occupy, and it would look at rates when it was able to.
“The values of properties had decreased quite significantly in the CBD and that meant that there was quite a considerable drop in rates for a lot of those commercial premises.”
Another issue the city centre was facing was an increase in criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, Berry said.
According to the report, there was a “significant increase” in the number of reported incidents of intimidation, vandalism, increased gang presence, break-ins, thefts, aggression and anti-social behaviour.
Berry said safety was a “major issue” for people circulating around the CBD, but also for business owners with people going in and threatening them.
Downtown Tauranga marketing and communications manager Sally Cooke said safety and security was a “significant issue”.
“It’s hindering their [businesses] ability to attract and retain staff because of the antisocial behaviour,” Cooke said.
“There’s the break-ins, there’s the theft, there’s the intimidation. Their staff are scared, they’re scared.
“A lot of our member businesses in the retail sector have had to give their staff alarms. They can’t walk to the cars by themselves.”
Cooke said these issues were raised by businesses in a meeting in December with Downtown Tauranga members, the council and police.
Downtown Tauranga asked the council for funding towards security guards and Māori wardens.
Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said the council previously provided facilities for Māori Wardens at the old library building that had since been demolished.
Tolley said: “We might want to think about or have a chat about where the Māori Wardens have gone and what sort of support they’re giving to them because even their presence in the city can make a difference.”
She said security was an issue raised by the Mount Maunganui Mainstreet organisation as well so it was something the council was going to have to think about.
“I’m a great believer in the old ‘Bobby on the beat”, that visibility of police presence on a consistent basis, and we seem to have gone away from that,” Tolley said.
Cooke said they had spoken with police and discussed some practical steps that included police walking around after meetings in the city and driving different routes back to the station.
She said police were open to looking at these suggestions, which was “great”.
To close Tolley said: “We do have a completely different situation in the CBD and it is going to be a long time before it’s fully resolved and all the investment that’s currently under way is completed, and we get hundreds and hundreds more people actually living and working in the CBD.”
Cooke responded: “We do have some great pockets of businesses working hard, doing good and people who love coming here, so don’t forget us.”
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With their lives shattered in the event, the family can now rebuild after the settlement.