Commercial Building A Boost For Napier

A surge of commercial building in Napier is a positive indicator of recovery as developers respond to earthquake compliance issues and the city shakes off the far-reaching impacts of global recession.

In the southeast area of downtown Napier, straddling Hastings and Marine Parade, work is continuing on the new Farmers building while demolition is underway on the seaward section of the former Cosmopolitan Club building. Owners Wallace Development propose a new three-storey structure, to add to a revamped Hastings Street structure.

Subject to resource consent approval, a 3000sm development will provide for a café on the corner of Albion and Hasting streets and ground-level and basement parking for 25 vehicles.

Plans to demolish the Williams Building facing Hastings Street have been granted resource consent. The 1911 building, which does not comply with rigorous requirements covering earthquake risk, has no heritage protection.

Owners Wallace Development intend building a single-storey structure encompassing two retail tenancies and a rooftop carpark for 19 vehicles accessed off Albion Street. Because existing tenants have long-term leases, this plan may not be progressed for several years.

Formerly owned by Malcolm Herbert, the Paxies site is being redeveloped by Wallace Development. The Group 1 heritage building is being preserved within a larger structure providing four to five retail tenancies.

The building height, 5.65m for the original Paxies façade facing Hastings Street, steps up the site to a maximum 6.3m for the new build on Marine Parade. On the south side of the site, the Council has secured a strip for a walkway to connect Hastings Street to Marine Parade.

Construction is well underway on the two-level office block Port View on Waghorne Street. The eighth and final stage in David MacKersey’s redevelopment of the former Crown Hotel and Moana Pacific sites provides a building of 800sm metres and 13 vehicle parks.

ABB is progressing the first stage of Hawke’s Bay Airport’s business park – 6000sm of manufacturing and office facilities.

In Taradale, Tremain Real Estate’s two-storey brick-faced building on the corner of Gloucester Street and Puketapu Road has been demolished to make way for a new glass and steel structure with four ground floor retail tenancies and one to two first floor office units.