$50m tower planned for inner-city Auckland site

Dae Ju Housing wants to build a 35-level apartment tower on the site between Fort St and Shortland St. Picture / Richard Robinson

One of Auckland's largest vacant inner-city sites could soon be developed into a $50 million apartment tower if the latest plans by a developer go ahead.

Last week, Dae Ju Housing got non-notified consent from Auckland City Council to build a 35-level apartment tower on the former Auckland Star site between Fort St and Shortland St.

The site has been empty since 1989, used mainly for short-term carparking. But Dae Ju, which developed the Victopia Apartments opposite TVNZ, has now got consent for a 35-level tower with 190 apartments.

Various towers have been proposed on the site, formerly owned by Trans Tasman Properties which once planned a 30-storey $100 million office tower there.

Trans Tasman struck an unconditional deal to sell the land to Dae Ju for $13.8 million two years ago.

Dae Ju, partly owned by a South Korean builder, has since been pondering its options.

Peddle Thorp Architects has now designed a 26-level apartment tower on top of an eight-level podium which will include three levels of parking. A further two basement levels will bring the building's carparking tally to 184, according to Dae Ju's proposal to the council.

Levels nine to 30 are for studio apartments of 34sq m to 42sq m and one and two-bedroom apartments of 53sq m to 128sq m. Levels 31 to 34 are for two and three-bedroom apartments of 124sq m to 139sq m.

The urban design panel - convened by Auckland University professor of architecture John Hunt - reviewed Dae Ju's proposal and said it was a further modification of a previous plan.

The panel wants some alterations to the design, particularly strengthening to the arcade-like qualities of a through-site link beneath the tower.

A key feature of successful arcade spaces was the presence of continuous roof lighting and ways of achieving this using artificial lighting should be considered, the panel said.

The panel also wants a review of the proposal's podium street facades, saying these should more clearly differentiate the lower retail level from the upper carpark levels.

The facade should accurately reflect the activities behind it, the panel said.

Dae Ju, whose directors are listed on the Companies Office website as Jae Huh, Young Kang and Jeong Sohn, is also building another apartment block, Fiore on Hobson.

This week, it invited guests to a "housing gallery" on a site opposite the development, at 171 Hobson St, where it says it will show off its new apartment block's "style, comfort, quality and, above all, space".

But Dae Ju's proposals for this site have angered heritage campaigner Allan Matson, who has fought to prevent demolition of the former Canvas City building on the site.

A demolition proposal for the building was incomplete and did not properly assess any potential loss of heritage, he said earlier this year.


DAE JU'S DEALS

* Victopia, 14-level apartment block, corner of Victoria St and Nelson St.

* Proposed 35-level apartment tower between Shortland St and Fort St.

* Proposed 10-level apartment tower, 164-168 Hobson St.