Sunshine Paradise is the latest in a long list of development proposals that have come and gone for this "special piece" of bare land. Mr Rodgers still holds a consent to build a multi-storey motel complex on the residential-zoned site.
However Mr Benge argued that the full potential for the site would be achieved by a mixed retail, office and residential development, with the front two-thirds of the land proposed to be rezoned commercial. He said it was already starting to morph into commercial with a vet clinic.
He stressed that a mixed-use development including cafes and a surf shop would draw people from the beach and holiday park across the road and become an energetic hub for Papamoa, much like under the Twin Towers.
"The project ticks all of Tauranga's urban design boxes."
Mr Benge said Papamoa had got its own identity and was different to what it was 10 to 15 years ago, with the development becoming a sort of gateway for Papamoa.
"We want to do something that will complete the jigsaw there."
The first step was a private-plan change for the part of the site to be zoned commercial. "For this we need your support," he told the councillors.
Mr Needham said they had received a neutral feedback from their talks with council staff and were looking at more positivity in order to go forward and make investment decisions. A planning change could be quite expensive but would allow them more flexibility than going through a resource consent process.
Mayor Stuart Crosby recalled a previous attempt in the mid-1980s to rezone the land commercial for a service station.
