Work and pleasure mingle in mixed use site

The three-storey development at 387 Tamaki Drive includes retail space, office suites and top-floor apartments. Photo / Supplied

Four remaining offices within a portfolio of five new boutique beachside office suites featuring some of the most outstanding suburban views of Auckland's waterfront are being offered for lease to individual tenancies.

The newly developed mixed-use block at 387 Tamaki Drive in St Heliers is a three-storey building with multiple retail tenancies on the ground floor and five office suites on the level above.

The top floor is being developed to accommodate three residential apartments.

One of the offices has already been let and the four remaining suites for lease range in size from 119sq m to 164sq m - three with their own private balconies adding additional space - and are being jointly marketed by Bayleys Real Estate's Leah La Hood and Sue de Jong of Barfoot and Thompson. La Hood says several design and landscaping features have been added to the original plan for the 1214sq m corner site.

These include a central public courtyard, allowing four of the tenancies within the U-shaped building to have views of the harbour and for a public amenity on the site.

La Hood says the new office suites would suit professional or consultancy service companies such as architectural, legal or accounting firms, or advertising and design agencies. Each office comes with one allocated on-site carpark.

"The vista within these offices and their location, combined with the extremely high design and construction standards, means they are ideally suited for high-end businesses," La Hood says.

The Tamaki Drive building reflects the type of mixed-use developments highlighted in Auckland Council's Auckland Unleashed discussion blueprint circulated earlier this year, says de Jong.

"We are seeing more and more mixed-use developments being constructed around Auckland's CBD suburb fringe which encompass residential and commercial use. This site, for example, also has retail usage to add diversity to the shops and retail outlets in St Heliers' shopping hub.

"What were the city-fringe commercial locations of Newmarket, Parnell and Khyber Pass are now moving out further from the CBD as smaller owner-operator-style businesses seek locations separate from larger corporates.

"Locations such as St Heliers better reflect their boutique nature and service style.

"The development at 387 Tamaki Drive is the first major construction of its type to be seen in St Heliers, which has traditionally been a residential suburb supported by predominantly food and beverage retailers. Those retailers have already indicated they are looking forward to what will be an influx of staff from these offices, in addition to the customers they are servicing."

La Hood says that smaller owner-operator businesses located in suburban Auckland locations were typically focused on a customer base which came from within a 10km radius.

For the offices at 387 Tamaki Drive, this catchment area would include Parnell, Remuera, St Johns, Newmarket, and Glendowie.

"Commercial activity reflects societal habits in this respect," La Hood says.

"People would rather 'stay local' for a coffee and brunch on the weekend rather than head across the city. The same applies for small business owners when utilising the likes of their lawyer, accountant, or graphic designer.

"These stunning offices, with their beachside proximity, are perfectly located to capture a very affluent customer base around the Eastern Bays suburbs."

In addition to on-site parking, there are several 60-minute free parking bays on both Tamaki Drive and Maheke St. The offices can be accessed by both a lift and stairwell, and will be serviced by a ducted heating and ventilation system.