*PARKING:
Leasehold carparks 4 minutes’ walk from the SkyView development available for $45,000 and $60,000 for a period of 70 years.
Compromises often have to be made when buying property. With apartments, if you want one close to the city centre, you often have to be prepared to put up with traffic noise and an outlook that mostly consists of other high-rise buildings.
However, the residents of a new apartment block in Auckland won't have to make too many concessions. SkyView apartments are to be built just a few steps from Queen St, but their location at the end of a quiet lane and next door to Myers Park means that although it will be an easy stroll to shops, restaurants and businesses, the homes will be far more peaceful than most apartments, says the developer.
Plus many of them will have an outlook over the trees and lawns of the park, an inner-city sanctuary that is one of Auckland's best-kept secrets.
"It's not very often that you get to live in the heart of a city, and have a park on your doorstep," says Rita Haagner, sales manager for CPRE, the company behind the apartments.
"We've been getting a lot of feedback from people about what a bonus that is. We've also had people who are renting in the same street keen to buy one of our apartments because they know how good the location is."
People interested in buying the one- and two-bedroom apartments have included empty nesters who are downsizing, out-of-towners looking for an affordable city base near theatres (Aotea Centre is a couple of minutes away) and the parents of university-age children who want accommodation handy to tertiary institutions.
SkyView will be just a few minutes from both Auckland University and AUT, and Massey University has premises a 10-minute walk away. Once the kids have completed their education, if they end up working in the city, they've already got the ideal place to live.
Then later on, once they've moved on to their own homes, the apartment could be the perfect investment property.
"There is a lot of demand for good rental accommodation around here," says Rita.
The smallest of SkyView's apartments is 53sq m and has a study as well as one bedroom, while the largest apartments are 71sq m and have two bedrooms.
"We've got one gem left on the ground floor that is 71sq m but has 124sq m of outdoor living," says Rita.
Image 1 of 4: Count the bonuses: affordable, peaceful, park vistas ... Donna Fleming checks out the SkyView apartments
"That is not something you get very often in an inner city apartment. I don't think it will be available for long."
There will be just four apartments per floor, and the building will be 15 storeys high, providing far-reaching views from the upper levels.
The architect behind SkyView apartments, Paul Brown, has been responsible for many of Auckland city's most iconic developments, including The Precinct, The Docks, Quadrant and Harbour City.
"He's got a really good understanding of apartment living and what people really like," says Rita, adding that the unusual shape of the building -- it will have rhomboid angles -- could well make it a new city icon.
Each apartment will be designed ergonomically, soundproofed and have its own balcony or outdoor space. Quality fixtures and fittings are being used throughout, with the kitchens equipped with stainless steel appliances such as fridge-freezers, dishwashers and microwaves. They will also have stone benchtops and sleek, contemporary cabinets.
Other thoughtful touches include washing machines that also dry clothes, so everything can be done in one go.
And because the developers have taken into consideration all the little things people want from a city apartment, it has been decided that residents will be allowed to keep small animals.
