Opening up Wharf St to more al fresco dining and potentially reconnecting the street to a new Town Wharf has been proposed by the Tauranga City Council.
Public feedback will be sought tomorrow[thursday] on the future look and function of Wharf St's main retail block.
The council's transformation manager Jaine Lovell-Gadd said people were welcome to share their thoughts with councillors and staff on the future design of the street between Willow St and The Strand. It takes place outside Bikaji Plaza restaurant from 11am to 1pm tomorrow, with free refreshments.
The waterfront end of Wharf St has been selected as one of the streets and open spaces that the council planned to revitalise over the next three years, joining Durham St, Durham Lane, Elizabeth St east, The Strand Extension to the railway bridge and Aspen Reserve.
Ms Lovell-Gadd said Wharf St had been trialled as a shared space for cars and pedestrians to create more opportunities for outdoor dining, with the streetscape project an opportunity to consider its long-term future.''
''We could potentially re-connect Wharf St to a new town wharf,'' she said.
The council would like to provide greater prominence to dining and other outdoor activities on the waterfront end of Wharf St, she said.
It will be the fourth public feedback session organised by the council. The first was in Durham St followed by outside Farmers on Elizabeth St. People unable to attend could email their thoughts to haveyoursay@tauranga.govt.nz
Ms Gadd said the eastern end of Elizabeth St was a priority area because of private and pubic development in the area.
''The James Pascoe Group intends to redevelop the Farmers site and, further along the street, the Bay of Plenty Region Council is carrying out a major refurbishment of Regional House.''
She said these developments provided an opportunity to work together to improve the link from Elizabeth St to The Strand, create a natural area in the city centre and reconnect to the harbour.
City transformation committee chair Larry Baldock said the quality of feedback received from previous community engagement indicated strong support for revitalising these key streets in the heart of the city.
The areas had been prioritised because of their ability to attract investment in the city centre and encourage more visitors and locals to the downtown. It would improve safety and offer a much better experience for pedestrians and road users, he said.
Heart of the City programme director Adele Hadfield said Durham St was identified as a priority area because of the recent and future development in the street, including the University of Waikato-led tertiary campus, the proposed 11-storey student accommodation building and Trustpower's head office.
''We wish to transform Durham St into a more pedestrian friendly street, with pedestrian-friendly connections to surrounding city centre streets and nearby public spaces.
''We also hope to better connect Durham Lane from the new university campus to the Toi Ohomai campus on Cameron Rd," she said.