Politicians mull future of Cup bases

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Syndicate Row at the Viaduct Harbour will start to be dismantled this month as politicians mull over keeping the publicly owned land or developing apartments on it.

Many of the America's Cup syndicates, which brought a colourful slice of Europe and the United States to the Viaduct, are joining the superyachts and making final preparations to leave Auckland.

Others, like Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW Racing, are staying put while they consider their options and plans by Alinghi for the next America's Cup regatta.

In the meantime, the city's politicians, developers and marine industry are considering life without the cup razzmatazz in the harbour.

A report by property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle says pressure to build apartments on the land will be intense.

Work is already well advanced on a 29-unit development on the area known as the log farm at the southwestern end of the Viaduct which was home to four syndicates.

The land is privately owned by Viaduct Harbour Holdings and is being turned into 200 apartments priced between $400,000 and $5 million.

The future of the other six bases on Halsey St is unclear. They are publicly owned by Infrastructure Auckland through a subsidiary, America's Cup Village Ltd (ACVL).

Chairman Peter Kiely said yesterday that ACVL's priority was to sort out the future of the syndicate bases before addressing the long-term future of the land.

Mr Kiely said the first syndicate bases would start coming down this month.

Leases expired at the end of the month and syndicates had to clear all their boat sheds and buildings from the land.

"The face down there will change pretty soon. That's the unfortunate consequence of an Alinghi win," he said.

Mr Kiely said ACVL was also talking to a couple of syndicates about renewing their leases.

Oracle BMW general manager Bill Erkelens said the team were "standing by" in Auckland, and Team New Zealand are also contemplating their future.

The future of ACVL's holdings, including marinas, with a total value of about $40 million is a major strategic decision for Infrastructure Auckland.

Infrastructure Auckland chairman John Robertson said there were a range of options, including keeping the land, selling it, or Auckland City Council taking over ownership.

Mr Robertson said land around the Viaduct Harbour should be developed in a way that added value to Aucklanders and visitors alike but he also stressed the infrastructure funding agency was under pressure to produce cash, in particular for public transport.

Auckland Mayor John Banks is keen to retain the bases in public ownership for future yachting and marine events.

The future of the land is also tied to plans by the Auckland Waterfront Advisory Group to develop a 50-year vision for the land west of the Viaduct, known as the tank farm.

The publicly owned syndicate bases are part of the tank farm for zoning purposes, which prevents residential development.

The advisory group is due to outline its plans in the next few months.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup