Commercial Development, Commerce Street, Whangarei

Client: G & D Donald

Value: $5 million

This proposal consisted of an, as yet, undermined mix of activities including retail, office and industrial. Several variations were necessary as new tenants expressed their interest. The supply of parking was always the key issue.

Dean addressed this by surveying an existing nearby shopping precinct and finding that the parking demand was always less than that required by the district plan. As a consequence, the Council staff accepted a significant reduction in the parking supply, compared with the district plan requirements, in both the original application and in each subsequent variation.