Apartments transform city skyline

The many tower cranes on the city's skyline are hauling gear onto apartment sites where at least 4000 new units are being built.

Many units are tiny, under 30sq m, but still boast two bedrooms, mainly aimed at Asian students.

Although new apartment consents are tailing off, planning work for the construction now under way started as long as three years ago.

The Auckland City Council has identified 38 developments that are planned, under construction or just completed. Most are apartments.

1. Lighter Quay, a 40-unit luxury apartment block by Nigel McKenna's Melview Developments. The structure is up and cladding is being applied, alongside America's Cup racing syndicate bases which are being dismantled. On leasehold land owned by Viaduct Harbour Holdings, subject to rent reviews.

2. KPMG's new Auckland headquarters, where staff from its legal, consulting and accounting divisions will be brought under one roof. The accounting and consulting divisions are on the fringe of the CBD at 9 Princes St. Legal services are at 22 Fanshawe St, but by January 2004, all staff will be in this new five-storey building being developed by Newcrest Holdings. The lower levels are rising now.

3. Viaduct Point, a 78-unit apartment block finished this year by Dominion Funds, run by former Fletcher Properties executive Paul Duffie and associated with Doug Somers-Edgar of Money Managers. On leasehold land owned by Viaduct Harbour Holdings, subject to rent reviews.

4. The Parc, a $55 million construction job for a joint venture between Dr Robin Congreve's Symphony Group and Craig Watts' Watts Group, on the old City Markets site. Residents will get an 80m by 60m private park at the centre. About 15 apartment blocks will be arranged around the street edges. The apartments are priced from between $400,000 to well over $1 million, bringing luxury to the waterfront and aimed at Auckland residents. On leasehold land owned by Viaduct Harbour Holdings, subject to rent reviews.

5. Number One Hobson, a 15-level apartment block by David Henderson's Kitchener Group, the same developer behind Princes Wharf. Built by Downers. Residents moving in soon. Unlike most land around the Viaduct Harbour, this site is freehold, which means residents have no on-going leasehold costs.

6. 76-84 Albert St, apartment development by Rheingold Holdings, near the historic Bluestone Store which is now dominated by the large carparking block by Rheingold Parking. Units are being built on top of the parking building.

7. 147 Hobson St by Sydney-based Robert Holden of Conrad Properties. He went back to the Auckland City Council last year for further planning determinations on what was proposed to be a 13-level, 193-unit apartment block. He wanted to add an extra floor of apartments and to build a 14-level tower with 209 units and got permission.

8. A 110-unit apartment development on Union St by Parkwood Developments.

9. The Hopetoun urban zone apartments on the corner of Pitt and Hopetoun Sts by Ken Kell's Kells Group, on the site of the former St Helens Hospital.

10. C-Vu, a controversial new apartment block on the fringe of the CBD which upset residents of nearby apartment blocks who will lose their sea and city views. Sydney-based Robert Holden of Conrad Properties began marketing C-Vu through Barfoot and Thompson in March last year and units in the 130-apartment block start at $119,000.

11. (a) CMJ central motorway project, stage two by Transit New Zealand. (b) Grafton Gully motorway extension by Transit New Zealand.

12. Office/retail development by the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle Trust Board which will change the look of the Queen St-Karangahape Rd intersection. The church trust has resource consent to build an $8 million development with underground parking on the site.

13. Evan Davies' Sky City conference centre/hotel project, where a $37 million building is going up on land the casino operator owns between Federal St and Albert St.

14. H47, Dr Robin Congreve's Symphony Group is well under way with a 14-level apartment block near the Heritage Hotel at 47 Hobson St (hence the name), bringing 200 units.

15. David Henderson of Kitchener Group is building a 12-level carpark and apartment development on Queen St.

16. Apartments by Golden Mile Holdings, whose directors include Wai Kwok and Siu Cheng. They are building a 12-level block at 508-510 Queen St.

17. 221 apartments at 9-11 Liverpool St by father and son Cullum and John Baker. Their McLeod Group is marketing these units as City Zone, 30m from Queen St and priced from only $105,000.

18. 13-level apartment block at 14-18 Scotia Place by Scotia Properties.

19. A 16-level office/residential block at 74-76 Wakefield St by Tony Tay Associates.

20. Extensions to existing office building at 62 Symonds St by the University of Auckland.

21. Sanctuary Developments is building a residential block for students at 15 Whitaker Place with tiny units - just 27sq m for a two-bedroom student apartment. Groundwork on the 18-level tower, to be called Columbia, was under way this year when a contractor, Ca'Bella, collapsed and had to leave the job. Sanctuary director Gary Groves has now finished Princeton, a twin-tower 19-level block at 30 Symonds St, also aimed at the foreign-student market.

22. 39-41 Symonds St - student accommodation in the education zone, a 12-level block.

23. University of Auckland science block redevelopment.

24. 11 Mount St, a new studio block development for students near Auckland University of Technology's city campus.

25. 25-29 Symonds St, a 15-level apartment block by Endene Developments.

26. Auckland University new student amenities, information, commons building.

27. Refurbishment for Auckland University on its architecture and engineering schools. New lecture rooms and student facilities.

28. Additions to University of Auckland's Maori Studies Department and construction of the $5.5 million Fale Pasifika which will be a Pacific Islands academic centre.

29. Tim Manning's Taradale Developments has taken over this ill-fated 16-level apartment tower from former Olympic kayaker Brent Clode of Clode Consulting. Manning hopes the tower will be worth $60 million when it is finished. The site of 230 new apartments at 1 Parliament St was the subject of a critical Securities Commission ruling and the death of a worker last year.

30. The 100 Trust is developing a 112-unit apartment tower at 100 Anzac Ave. It involves redeveloping an existing building. Some planning issues - loading and parking - were yet to be resolved.

31. Mosen Hagi of Persian rug retailer House of Hagi is developing apartments at 8 Ronayne St, a project known as The Landings.

32. This 17-level development, to the north of the Hyatt Hotel, will add 111 suites to the hotel's 274 rooms. An extension of the ballroom will create a conference facility capable of holding 1200 people.

33. Britomart tunnel project by Auckland City Council - part of the $200 million transport terminal due to open July 1.

34. Jamie Peters' Starline Group is building a $75 million office and carpark development near the former Auckland Railway Station, spread across 3.3ha, to be called East on Quay. Three five-storey office blocks are expected to be worth $60 million and an apartment/office block is also planned. A six-storey, 540-space carpark was projected last year to be worth $15 million.

35. Tony Gapes' Redwood Group will build a supermarket at 2-3 Beach Rd and Progressive Enterprises plans to open a $17 million Foodtown supermarket there, near the Britomart project. The supermarket will occupy this 4000sq m site along Quay Park, Beach Rd and Tinley St. Gapes is also building an apartment block.

36. Silo, a $100 million,18-level office/apartment/parking tower at 65 Fort St by father-and-son developers Ted and Culum Manson. This 164-unit apartment project is on the historic Northern Roller Mills site and involves fitting apartments into the old 11-level grain silo and modifying a protected building. The facade of the Northern Roller Mills building is being retained. Ted gave $10,000 this year to the New Zealand Herald's hospital microscope appeal.

37. The $200 million Britomart transport interchange will bring underground rail, shops, offices and historic building refurbishments.

38. Hong Kong resident Jesse Lu and his Trans Tasman Properties have for years talked of a $100 million, 30-level office tower at 20-32 Shortland St on the former Auckland Star site.

The project is on the back burner because they have been unable to get satisfactory pre-commitment from anchor tenants and the site remains vacant.