Ellerslie office park races away

Each office unit will cater for firms made up of three to 10 people.

An Ellerslie office development at 195 Main Highway has drawn on the history of the Auckland Racing Club for its name.

Developer Hughes and Tuke is calling its development Valparaiso after the Auckland Racing Club's first race at Ellerslie - the Valparaiso Stakes Handicap.

The Spanish name also means "vale of paradise".

Hughes and Tuke Developments has built seven office parks totalling nearly 30,000 sq m over the past eight years, in addition to other warehouse/office and industrial business park developments.

Valparaiso will be built on the former Stevens Home and Giving site where the privately-owned retailer of homeware products ran its distribution and head office for 15 years.

Colliers International industrial broker Andrew Hooper relocated Stevens to a new 4000 sq m high stud, clear span office/warehouse at Wiri last year. Hooper then sold the Ellerslie site to Hughes and Tuke for the office park development.

Amalgamated Packaging has recently used the property for storage on a short-term lease. Demolition of the property has started and the new office park will be finished at the end of this year.

Valparaiso will contain four separate buildings with 245 sq m to 500 sq m footprints. The office units will range in size from 110 sq m to 253 sq m and are aimed at small firms of three to 10 people.

It is at the small end of office parks compared with the developments bigger players such as Macquarie Goodman can put up, says industrial director Charles Cooper. But there is a dearth of office developments offering quality and value which are close to the CBD but not so close that the owners or tenants are battling traffic.

The two-storey buildings designed in classical European style will feature natural light, Juliet balconies, gated security, courtyards for entertaining clients, stone columns at the entranceway and extensive landscaping.

The property will be surrounded by woodland with a large number of mature trees and light ground coverage, says Hooper.

Subtlety and fitting with the locality was of primary importance for the company, hence the wide green spaces, an attractive street frontage and comprehensive garden and outdoor areas, says Cooper.

Carparking is a generous ratio of one park for every 26 sq m. Under Auckland City Councils rules Hughes and Tuke was required to supply only one carpark for every 40 sq m. The company has allocated 91 secure basement and external carparks for the units. A further 28 will be available for purchase or lease.

"In total we have 119 carparks, about 50 per cent more on site than required by the council," says Garry Barclay, Hughes and Tuke sales manager.

Basement carparks will be leased at $35 per week and will sell for $19,000 while uncovered carparks will lease for $25 per week and sell for $14,500

The freehold unit titled offices are either for sale or lease to owner/occupiers, investors and tenants.

Hooper says the development will suit small professional firms operating from the eastern suburbs who want an address that reflects CBD quality in an area without the inner city traffic congestion.

Barclay says the flexible office units can be increased in size by joining two or more together. "We regularly have demand for 500 sq m office suites," he says. Hooper says the smallest office suites will give people who work at home an opportunity to move into an accessible commercial office.

The larger units will suit firms who want a corporate office away from their warehouse.

It is expected the biggest office unit will sell for just over $1 million and lease for $88,434 net a year, while the smallest unit will sell for $433,200 and lease for $36,564 net a year.

Cooper says it is the first premier small office development that has a 6m-wide, two-way entrance from Ellerslie's main highway.

It's also across the road from the Ellerslie Domain, within walking distance of the town centre and in a parklike setting.

There is a limited supply of quality office buildings for sale in the area, particularly close to the town centre and this one is for sale.

Valparaiso is sited in an area of Ellerslie that the Auckland City Council has designated for growth within its liveable community plan.

The plan is about co-ordinating development within Ellerslie to ensure the district grows offering the amenities, services and lifestyle choices that will continue to attract business investment and residents.