Exciting concepts for a new library and retail development in Greerton will be unveiled to a confidential city council taskforce meeting today.
Two developers have drawn up plans for the site as part of a push by the council to enter into joint-venture partnerships to develop two prime parcels ofland it owns in the Greerton and Mount Maunganui shopping centres.
Council property manager Anthony Averill said the taskforce would evaluate the Greerton proposals and make a recommendation to the council on whether or not to accept one of the plans.
Mr Averill described the concepts by the Auckland and Tauranga developers as "good quality proposals".
The council has asked for proposals potentially covering the Subway block on the corner of Chadwick Rd and Greerton Rd, and the adjoining public library and council-owned Plunket sites - overlapping onto the Village Green.
The objective was to secure a development that included a new 1000sq m library for the southern end of the city. The options would be for the council to own the library portion of the development, or to lease the space.
The taskforce is a small group of councillors from that end of the city chaired by Councillor Terry Molloy.
Meanwhile, registrations of interest have closed to have the Mount downtown's 4200sq m Phoenix carpark site developed.
Mr Averill said nine registrations of interest were received from all over New Zealand from which the council has invited six to submit detailed proposals.
Three were ruled out because they did not provide full development opportunities for the site.
He said some high quality parties were vying for the opportunity to develop the carpark.
The council wants to retain the same number of carparks on the Phoenix site, meaning the development would lend itself to a two-level carparking building running along the rear of the site. The taskforce wants the two-level development to have an active retail frontage behind a wider footpath.
A separate taskforce of councillors mainly representing the coastal suburbs will evaluate the Phoenix proposals early next year.
