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Developer David Henderson has abandoned long-standing plans on his Albert St site in the CBD.
In the fourth change of plans, he has decided to quit the site and put it up for sale.
The Princes Wharf developer had planned to build The Stanley - named after his father - on the Angus Steak House site opposite the ANZ Centre.
Now, Barfoot & Thompson has listed the 1265sq m site in four titles, promoting it as a CBD development opportunity.
It is telling prospective buyers the land has the potential for a 27-level tower for commercial or residential use.
Henderson's plans for the site worried the Auckland Catholic Diocese, which feared earthworks could damage the historic St Patrick's Cathedral.
Last year, Henderson said he would build an office block at the corner of Albert St, Swanson St and St Patrick's Square.
That was the third change of plans for the corner site and was partly a response to a shift in Auckland's apartment market, where demand for units away from the waterfront has dried up.
When the apartment market was booming three years ago, Henderson proposed a 35-level tower. Last year, he unveiled a 27-level block and by last April staff at his Kitchener Group were selling Stanley units off the plans for $1.4 million to $3.2 million.
But by last November Kitchener was planning a 16-level office building on the site, citing a shifting apartment market and more demand for commercial premises in the CBD.
Now Henderson says he wants to concentrate on his Victoria Park Markets project, where he is about to demolish the carpark at the site's city end and build apartments with underground parking.
He is planning a $70 million transformation at the site.