HAMILTON | Projects

[TheTron]

If I was to guess, trading revenue has mostly dropped because they have been letting tenancies run down (without renewal) so they can begin construction, pretty normal stuff. This is a big redevelopment when you consider the Victoria/Ward street corner and the western Ward Street road stopping. I'm quite excited about it as I think it will bring the heart back to the city, the concept of the retail pods, on what used to be a street, mirrors what you see when you visit cities like Brisbane.

There is room for a CBD movies offering, in fact it it vital, when you consider the population that doesn't live by the Base of Chartwell, the 40,000+ students that come every year, and the indirect money it will bring to KIPT from kids that are dropped off in town to go to the movies and look around the shops before and after. My guess would be Hoyts will grab it.

The CBD is in a good state at the moment.

'A' grade office space is, I think, at an all time vacancy low, which is opening up opportunity for new 'A' grade mid-level office towers to be developed. In addition to the developments mentioned above, I have heard rumors that a major power company is planning to move its Hamilton office back to the CBD (southern end overlooking the river) which would be great.

The retail vacancy rate in the CBD is also very very low, 11.3% overall, and the 'A' grade retail vacancy rate is even lower than that. When you walk around the CBD you get a good feeling about it. When the CentrePlace redevelopment is completed, and the SkyCity 4.5 star hotel (with an enclosed pool - which is key for many business people / conference attendees / tourists, at the upper end) is completed the CBD will be a much more attractive proposition for business.

Business-wise, I am not sure this forum is aware of the $30 million dollar DataCom data centre being built which is a huge boost to $1+ billion Hamilton IT industry (this will be in addition to the huge existing Telecom Caro Street data centre). Also Ultrafast Broadband Limited (owned by WEL Energy) won the tender for ultrafast broadband (regions from New Plymouth to Hamilton/Tauranga) which is/will have its head office in Hamilton and will continue to grow its employment base. I know there are sharing testing resources in Auckland with other tender winners, but once roll out has occurred, those facilities for UltraFast Broadband Ltd will move down to Hamilton, further boosting the Hamilton economy. I am also pretty sure that Fonterra's office tower in the city is becoming more entrenched as the Operations centre for Fonterra globally (the more commercial function is in Auckland, research function in Palmerston North), it also has the global accounting function, two key areas for the company which are vital to the business day to day and employ many $100,000+ jobs. I also understand parts of Titanium Park (near the airport) have also sold out, which can only be a good thing, it will be great when Torpedo7 and 1 Day Sale start building their $100 million new campus later this year.

[TheTron]

Progress picture on new road to Worley Place
(completion June 2012)

[badbehaviour]

Originally Posted by TheTron

If I was to guess, trading revenue has mostly dropped because they have been letting tenancies run down (without renewal) so they can begin construction, pretty normal stuff. This is a big redevelopment when you consider the Victoria/Ward street corner and the western Ward Street road stopping. I'm quite excited about it as I think it will bring the heart back to the city, the concept of the retail pods, on what used to be a street, mirrors what you see when you visit cities like Brisbane.

There is room for a CBD movies offering, in fact it it vital, when you consider the population that doesn't live by the Base of Chartwell, the 40,000+ students that come every year, and the indirect money it will bring to KIPT from kids that are dropped off in town to go to the movies and look around the shops before and after. My guess would be Hoyts will grab it.

The CBD is in a good state at the moment.

'A' grade office space is, I think, at an all time vacancy low, which is opening up opportunity for new 'A' grade mid-level office towers to be developed. In addition to the developments mentioned above, I have heard rumors that a major power company is planning to move its Hamilton office back to the CBD (southern end overlooking the river) which would be great.

The retail vacancy rate in the CBD is also very very low, 11.3% overall, and the 'A' grade retail vacancy rate is even lower than that. When you walk around the CBD you get a good feeling about it. When the CentrePlace redevelopment is completed, and the SkyCity 4.5 star hotel (with an enclosed pool - which is key for many business people / conference attendees / tourists, at the upper end) is completed the CBD will be a much more attractive proposition for business.

Business-wise, I am not sure this forum is aware of the $30 million dollar DataCom data centre being built which is a huge boost to $1+ billion Hamilton IT industry (this will be in addition to the huge existing Telecom Caro Street data centre). Also Ultrafast Broadband Limited (owned by WEL Energy) won the tender for ultrafast broadband (regions from New Plymouth to Hamilton/Tauranga) which is/will have its head office in Hamilton and will continue to grow its employment base. I know there are sharing testing resources in Auckland with other tender winners, but once roll out has occurred, those facilities for UltraFast Broadband Ltd will move down to Hamilton, further boosting the Hamilton economy. I am also pretty sure that Fonterra's office tower in the city is becoming more entrenched as the Operations centre for Fonterra globally (the more commercial function is in Auckland, research function in Palmerston North), it also has the global accounting function, two key areas for the company which are vital to the business day to day and employ many $100,000+ jobs. I also understand parts of Titanium Park (near the airport) have also sold out, which can only be a good thing, it will be great when Torpedo7 and 1 Day Sale start building their $100 million new campus later this year.

I will be really happy if the outlook at home is as positive as you say. I'm coming home at Easter time and can not wait to get coffee & breakfast at Scott's Epicurean :P

[Marky Mark]

It would only take 2-3 New Buildings up to 20 Floors and Hamilton would have an impressive CBD

Originally Posted by TheTron

Progress picture on new road to Worley Place
(completion June 2012)

[badbehaviour]

It certainly will look a lot better with the carpark entrance finally gone - I guess we will just have to wait and see whether the slow-traffic /shared lane adds or detracts from the vibrancy in garden place

[whkfan]

Good to hear that Hamilton's CBD is in a good state. I was under the impression that the growth and development of malls like the base may lead to the CBD losing key business and sucking life out of the CBD. I would like to see more high rise buildings in the CBD. Hamilton looks a predominantly low rise ( 3 - 6 levels buildings ) city despite being one of the country's fastest growing city in the country. Is being a low rise city got anything to do with height restrictions or is there little demand for taller buildings. I would like to see more 12 -20 level buildings. Were are those taller apartments or office towers proposals ? The city will continue to grow rapidly with all the business campuses, malls, new suburbs, data centers, etc but the odd ( if not many) 20 level building will be great.

[TheTron]

I guess everyone loves tall buildings, that is why we are on this forum, but there really isn't a need for heaps of 12+ story buildings in a city Hamilton's size. From a developers point of view (for smaller high rises) the economies of scale you gain from going taller and taller aren't really there when you consider construction costs per floor and tenancy difficulties. It is almost as efficient to build (and tenant) a 5 story as it is a 12 story. Esp given the slowing nature of businesses that need pure office space (i.e. insurance companies, banks, lawyers, etc). Developers build shorter, as it costs less (easier funding) and they are simple to fill up with tenants. They then flick them on for a profit and build another. This is why 5 story buildings are so common.

I personally think, for a city the size of Hamilton, smaller high rises actually creates a much nicer CBD when you are surrounded by 4-8 story buildings on every corner, makes it feel bigger than it is. From a skyline point of view though, taller will always be more impressive! Still Hamilton has around 70-80 buildings which are 4 or more stories, most of them are in the 4-8 story range, but there are some higher up to the Government Life building which according to the Waikato Times is 19 stories.

I think the growth of the malls won't have a major effect on the CBD in the longer term. Hamilton supports around 300-400 thousand people in the wider region, more than big enough for the CBD (specialty and franchised stores, the Base (franchised), Westfield (franchised) and the other suburban centres (specialty and local). Not everyone wants to buy franchised goods, and not everyone lives near the Base/Westfield. Development attention will also shift back to the CBD over the next 10 years because of the Council's Development Plan.

Oh, and as for pictures of Hamilton's CBD, this will always be my favourite, I think it is an old Council snap:

[badbehaviour]

Have they begun construction of 'CityGate' on the corner of Ward & Angelsea yet?

[TheTron]

No not yet, I guess they are waiting for something, perhaps to fill up the remaining floor or two.

[jamie.h]

Yes a lot going on in Hamilton. I saw I the herald a couple of days ago that the road change over at the north end of Avalon drive has begun. That new part of sh1 is running 4 or 5 months ahead of schedule. Looks really good. Can wait to be driving on it by the end of the year. The ngaruawahia section is moving full steam ahead. Bridge construction has already started and big hills have been dragged down into the flats to form the road. The road is very obvious alread.

[TheTron]

Earthworks have begun for a $9 million aged-care centre in South Hamilton's Peacock area.

The 50-bed care facility, which will include hospital and rest-home-level care, is part of the $80m new Summerset retirement village in Dixon Rd.
Initially, the building will include 30 of the 50 planned hospital and rest-home beds, with more beds to be added later in the five to seven-year village development.
The main building will also include resident recreation facilities, including a cafe, bar, gym, lounges, hair salon, library and a doctor's clinic.
Outside will be a bowling green, barbecue area, grandchildren's playground, communal vegetable garden and a "bloke's tool shed".
The first stage of the village has been completed. To be built on nearly 7 hectares, it will eventually house up to 350 people.
Another 30 homes and 10 care apartments are also planned alongside the main centre, as stage two of the development.
Tenders for the main centre will be called in the coming months, says Summerset chief executive Norah Barlow.


Link

[TheTron]

Torpedo7 and 1-Day Sale's huge growth (nearly a 9 figure annual revenue) bodes well for 12 ha office/warehouse Hamilton building project:

LINK

Company value already $60+million so the building project (estimated previously at $100 million) seems realistic for the company.

Excellent news for Hamilton

[TheTron]

Construction of a $100m complex for Torpedo7 at Hamilton International Airport's industrial park is due to start next month.
LINK

[TheTron]

New Indoor Boutique Market for Hamilton CBD

Link

New Zealand’s first retail incubator park will open in Hamilton in the next 2 months as part of a new boutique indoor market designed to boost the central city.

The market will feature up to 10 retailers selling only New Zealand made and designed products, a delicatessen, café, entertainment area and a retail incubator supporting new businesses.

The project is a move by Opportunity Hamilton and Hamilton Central Business Association to bring “wealth and vibrancy” to the city.

“This is the best thing to happen in central Hamilton in a long time and we believe it will revive the city in an unprecedented way. It will not only attract Hamilton shoppers but also tourists by its quality and point of difference,” said Sandy Turner, business association general manager.

The economic development organisations are in negotiations with potential landlords and several top quality retailers for the joint venture project.

“We have a couple of ideal sites in mind and for retailers we are looking for high quality products from wines and cheese to art and jewellery. The plan is for boutique food producers to sublet space in the delicatessen,” Sandy said.

Opportunity Hamilton business development manager Adrian Dixon said the joint venture was a “several pronged” economic development strategy for the city, which had been losing retailers to its northern suburbs in recent years.

“This will give both retailers and shoppers a reason to return to central Hamilton. The incubator will create and foster new businesses and the unique market will attract tourists. It’s about breathing life into Hamilton city,” he said.

Sandy and Adrian are on the look-out for key anchor tenants, possibly those who have “cut their teeth” at weekly or monthly outdoor markets.

“Ideally we are looking for people who have evidence that they have the market and production share to expand to a seven day operation. We are also looking for new retail businesses looking for training, mentoring and support within the incubator park,” Adrian said.

Anchor tenants will sign two or three year leases, ensure site is fully stocked with New Zealand designed and made goods, provide retail staff, share operational costs and operate seven days.

Incubator tenants are offered 12 months subsidised rent, training in merchandise management, marketing, human resources, financial management and customer service and mentoring from a successful downtown business. After 12 months incubator businesses either negotiate permanent tenancies or relocate.

“We envisage many of these businesses will go on to tenant other vacant premises within the CBD,” Sandy said.

[TheTron]

The Bryant Trust is understood to be investigating building a 6-8 storey development on the corner of Collingwood St and Alexandra St in the CBD

Link

[metroman]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times...al-seabed-mine

[TheTron]

Ambitious plan for 'super venue'





Big plans are unfurling at the Mystery Creek Events Centre, as it seeks to reclaim lost links with Hamilton city and become one of Australasia's top super-events venues.

The centre is embarking on a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of its 88 hectare campus, inviting architects, urban designers and planners from around the country to participate in a "master plan" design contest for a 20-year redevelopment.

At the same time, new chief executive Jon Calder is seeking to reconnect the annual Fieldays extravaganza with the city, with plans for a gala dinner or ball in Hamilton, featuring the sophisticated Ag Art Wear runway show, usually confined to Mystery Creek during Fieldays week.

Mr Calder also plans to extend offshore Mystery Creek's licensing for the Ag Art Wear show from Australia to the United States. Winners of 12 offshore shows across the Tasman compete at the June Fieldays show, and the plan is to extend the number of offshore entries.

"This event has so much potential. We don't even currently sell tickets – it's first in first served. It has the potential to become a world show."

Sky City and the Meteor theatre are possible venues for the gala night.

Mr Calder could not put a price tag on the redevelopment investment but said it would be "unparalleled" in the history of the site. Around $10 million has been invested in Mystery Creek in the past decade, he said.

The design contest winner will be invited to work with the events centre to develop the campus. Finalists will each receive $5000.

Mr Calder said the aim is to make Mystery Creek the best multi-functional events organisation in the country and an Australasian super event venue.

The operation had largely evolved around the needs of National Fieldays and other agriculture events, but was increasingly hosting big stay-on-site festivals, multi-day conferences and major national exhibitions.

"We now find that our major events are focused across a broad cross-section in addition to our major brand `Fieldays' ... we need to ensure our campus evolves with the needs of the entire events industry ..."

The master design and long-term development idea is "good practice", said McConnell Group development manager Aidan Donnelly, whose company is developing the nearby Titanium Park business precinct with Hamilton International Airport, and the major Citygate building project in Hamilton's CBD.

"A master plan sets the right framework and lets you maximise (the project) so it realises its potential."

The proposal recognised the strategic importance of the Mystery Creek land and the economic benefit to Hamilton, if the society's vision was realised, it would be "reasonably significant", Mr Donnelly said.

"I'm sure designers will be interested because of the scale of the landholding, and because it is held in single ownership. That is reasonably unique. Designers love to be able to work with scale: normally land and ownership is fragmented, making if very difficult to realise the potential."

Waikato University professor of environment planning Bob Evans said a contest to design a master plan was common in Europe.

He believed the job would lure big architectural firms because it offered the prospect of 20 years of work as well as a master design opportunity.

Entrants in the design contest will be asked to consider site layout, facilities, buildings and infrastructure, including provision for new events, car parking and technology needs, roading layouts, new covered exhibition space, and more conference and meetings rooms – all under a sustainable environmental umbrella.

[TheTron]

The building at this site has been demolished.



Possibly linked to this earlier story (but definitely not confirmed):

The Bryant Trust is understood to be investigating building a 6-8 storey development on the corner of Collingwood St and Alexandra St in the CBD

Link

[TheTron]

Southern CBD Countdown to complete reconstruction of store



Hamilton's 42-year-old Bridge St supermarket is to close next month for a year while it undergoes a $20 million facelift to a new generation Countdown.


About 75 staff will be redeployed at Progressive Enterprises' seven other supermarkets in Waikato until April 2013, a spokesman said. No redundancies are planned.


When the new supermarket opens it could employ up to 45 extra staff.
The new model will be a similar style to the new Countdown in Te Rapa with its trademark wide aisles, but at 4200sqm with 225 car parks, will be larger than the company's average 4000sqm supermarket with 202 parks, the spokesman said.


There will be 50 carparks in a basement. The Australian company acquired the extra land next door for the development.
Tenders for the main construction contract closed this week. The company could not yet say which construction company had won the job. The project will provide work for the region's contractors and will incorporate the latest energy efficient features, the spokesman said.

[TheTron]

Some Hamilton Project Info

I've heard a rumor (the source is usually good) that Mighty River Power's Hamilton office is planning to move to a new office building to be built at the Project Grantham site on Grantham Street (overlooking the river they extract power from).

If it is true, it will be great to see Mighty River Power moving back from the suburbs to the CBD.

Currently the site is a sandpit after the recent move of the historic Hamilton Club building to a neighbouring site, clearing the old site for the new multistory office/retail build.

I have also heard a rumor about another major city employer moving back to the CBD, which if true would be of significance.

The RD1 new corporate head office (for about 200-400 staff) is nearing the end of its build.

Sealed Air is mid way through a large extension to their factory in Te Rapa.

The hospital build is something to behold. It is hard to really fathom how big Waikato Hospital now is. It has been the biggest hospital campus in New Zealand for some time, but the number of new multi-story buildings in it is incredible. All the old buildings have been repainted and there are still at least 3 large cranes in the air.

Neighbouring private hospital, Braemar, is also building a large extension.

K-Mart are to begin a new build opposite the Base.

The CentrePlace redevelopment is still progressing well. I suspect once the council finish the road stopping, the project will speed-up and become more visible from neighbouring road fronts.