The proposed twin towers on the site of the Downtown carpark building in Auckland.
The proposed twin towers on the site of the Downtown carpark building in Auckland.
Twin towers and a laneway weaving its way from Britomart to the Viaduct are proposed if Auckland councillors agree to sell the Downtown carpark building to Precinct Properties.
A pack of confidential images leaked to the Weekend Herald reveal Precinct’s plan to expand its portfolio of office towers on theAuckland waterfront from Commercial Bay to the Viaduct.
To pull it off, Precinct plans to buy and demolish the carpark building and develop the prime 0.625ha waterfront site where the plain, but functional seven-storey building with 1944 spaces has provided affordable parking since it was built in 1970.
The twin towers will be almost 40 storeys high and offer spectacular views for office workers and apartments.
Central to Precinct’s plans are two slim skyscrapers nearly 40 storeys high towering above the M Social hotel on Quay St that will have a mix of office space and apartments with spectacular views of the Waitematā Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf.
At ground level, the laneway through Commercial Bay from Te Komititanga Square will be extended across lower Albert St, weaving between Aon House and HSBC Tower before passing the two new towers to Lower Hobson St. There are also plans for a park on part of Sturdee St.
Comments in the pack show Precinct Properties is keen to remove the Hobson St flyover to open up and refurbish lower Hobson St, saying that keeping the flyover will prevent access to the Viaduct, reduce the visibility of a podium development and compromise the overall quality of the project.
The cost of the project is not known, but likely to be well in excess of $1 billion, which was about the cost of Precinct’s 180-metre-tall PwC Tower housing the Commercial Bay shopping centre at the bottom of Queen St.
A ground-floor plan showing the route of the laneway along the green line and views from different locations.
Precinct chief executive Scott Pritchard said although the company would like to comment on its plans, “unfortunately we are unable to due to confidentiality”.
A decision has technically been made to sell the carpark building to Precinct, but the official sign-off by the council’s governing body has been delayed while the council seeks more information.
This includes plans for a hub to park bikes and scooters in the new development, the removal of the Hobson St flyover and a new bus interchange in the vicinity of the development.
These “strategic transport outcomes” were conditions of the sale when the council decided to sell its biggest car park in 2021, but are now deemed too costly for questionable benefits.
The cost of buying an entire floor in a new building on the site of the carpark and fitting it out for bikes and scooters with toilets and showers is estimated at $28 million. Removing the Hobson St flyover and building a bus interchange is believed to have a similar price tag.
A view from the site of the Downtown car park building showing the laneway between buildings.
The sale has sparked a petition and lobbying by high-profile property developer Andrew Krukziener for an alternative proposal he believes would keep some public parking and make more money for ratepayers.
The petition by an Auckland woman, Shery Gartner, to stop the sale and demolition of the Downtown carpark building has collected 9105 signatures.
Gartner presented the petition to councillors in September, saying Aucklanders rely on it for convenience to the downtown area and reasonably priced parking, a view shared by the Waiheke Local Board.
Krukziener, who owns several buildings in the central city and has been a secretary of the Save the Queen St Society, which challenged the council over the pedestrianisation of Queen St, said there is an alternative way forward that benefits the council, Precinct and the city.
Shery Gartner has collected more than 9000 signatures to her petition calling on Auckland Council to stop the sale and demolition of the Downtown carpark building.
“Losing public car parking from Auckland city is a total disaster because it entirely destroys the bottom end of town,” said Krukziener, saying the previous left-leaning council view that stopping people driving into the city would get people out of cars and using bikes, scooters and public transport was “totally idiotic”.
“They will simply get in their car and drive somewhere else where parking is available,” he said.
Krukziener said the solution is “blindingly simple” - sell the air rights to build above the existing Downtown carpark, build a skeleton around the carpark building while dealing with some seismic issues all at once, and keep most or lease some of the car parks to the developer.
Bernard Orsman is an Auckland-based reporter who has been covering local government and transport since 1998. He joined the Herald in 1990 and worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.
