Inner-city development and revitalisation seems to be a key priority for councils but something needs to change if they want to draw people into CBDs.
This week I overheard a visitor to Rotorua say the town looked sad and she had hardly seen anyone on the streets.
So itis justified for the Rotorua Lakes Council's 2021-2031 Long-term Plan to include the creation of an inner-city plan to "build investor and development confidence in our CBD".
But the council says a long-term plan for developing the CBD is in its "initial steps" and a proposed plan is "some way" away.
In Tauranga City Council's draft plan it proposes to invest millions into the city centre through the likes of $61 million for community spaces and library, a $19m memorial park to city centre pathway and more.
It says the Tauranga city centre is meant to be a social, cultural and economic hub for Tauranga and the wider region.
To me it seems CBDs are struggling to compete with malls and shopping centres which provide one-stop shops for customers and plenty of free car parks.
Rotorua CBD retailers spoken to by the Rotorua Daily Post say a "vibrant city heart" for them should include more parking and inner-city beautification.
I live in Rotorua and am more likely to shop at Central Mall or Trade Central when I need something because parking is readily accessible and there is a broad range of shops in a close area.
I only really go into the CBD for lunch or dinner.
If I visit Tauranga, it is not to visit Tauranga's city centre. I'm more likely to visit Tauranga Crossing for a one-stop shopping experience or go to Mount Maunganui if I'm getting dinner.
In Rotorua, I'll go to Eat Streat because of the atmosphere it offers. The Mount has the same feel.
Rotorua's CBD on a weekday evening. Photo / Supplied
As it stands, both CBDs are littered with empty shops. Information from Telfer Young quoted in Rotorua Lakes Council's 2021 to 2031 plan document said there were 113 untenanted office and retail spaces in the CBD in the 2019/2020 financial year.
In April, Mainstreet Tauranga records showed about 75 per cent of the CBD's 699 spaces were occupied.
So if councils want to revitalise CBDs, I think they need to think outside the box and find a point of difference.
They shouldn't be trying to compete with malls. Rotorua's Eat Streat is the heart of the CBD in the evenings and the Thursday night market bustles because it offers what malls do not.
CBDs should have restaurant hubs, inner-city living and a point of difference.
Every city has a CBD, a heart, a centre - so let's make them something special.
