$60m high-rise takes Mount closer to Gold Coast

By Graham Skellern
Downtown Mount Maunganui will move closer to a Gold Coast look when a $60 million, 11-storey high-rise apartment building gets underway by mid-year.
An Auckland developer has drawn new plans for a diamond-shaped building near the beach between The Beaumont and the Hot Spot apartments in Maunganui Rd.
The $60m development, The Pacific, will comprise 70 apartments, ground floor retail and leisure activities.
"It'll be like living in a four-and-a-half star hotel," Philip Lindsey, director of development company, Lincon Pacific, said.
A gymnasium, spa and sauna, cafe, deli/convenience store, beauty therapist and outside swimming pool are also planned but not yet finalised.
"We want to have services complementary to apartment living - the owners can go downstairs to get a newspaper and some cheese. They won't need to drive down the road," he said.
The Pacific, with four penthouses on the top floor, is being developed straight across the road to the $120m twin-tower complex and will have 65 luxury apartments. The two latest high rises will be built at the same time and be completed early in 2009. Mr Lindsey is not worried by the competition.
"I don't have a problem with it. The Mount is due for some good new high-rises. We are sitting at a lower price range than them and between the two of us we are covering the market."
The developments would again put the spotlight on the Mount, Mr Lindsey said. "It's part of the maturing process of the area. New Zealanders are well travelled people and they are getting used to apartment living, with its increased security."
Mr Lindsey is taking over The Pacific project from Hamilton's Jack Jenkins who obtained a resource consent for a 15-level, 76 apartment complex last July - after nearly nearly three years of trying. "Jack did all the hard work tying up the land and the resource consent and he wanted someone else to drive the development," he said.
Lincon Pacific is buying Mr Jenkins' Asia Pacific Management and Mr Lindsey will take control of the 2427sq m site between 6-10 Maunganui Rd after June.
The properties already there - two motels, Oceans Sands and Mount Mews, and three brick and tile units - will be demolished in July.
The development site was enlarged when Mr Jenkins bought the units late last year allowing Mr Lindsey to reconfigure the carparking, increase the size of the apartments and have more landscaped space around the building.
The Pacific will have similarities to the twin towers with its blue tinted, fully glassed exterior and all the apartments will have large, wrap-round balconies.
"That's the New Zealand way of life ... to sit on the balcony and have a barbecue and beer," Mr Lindsey said.
The apartment price will start at $505,000 for a two-bedroom unit. The four 180 sq m penthouses with 40sq m decking will range from $2.5-$2.8m.