DISCUSSION | WLG Projects

• Bowen Campus Stage One: extensive refurbishment of two old office buildings comprising almost 40,000 sqm office space. 100% leased by government tenants, very near complete.
• Pinnacle Apartments, Victoria Street: 17L, a mix of apartments and hotel rooms, demolition of old building underway.
• Rydges Hotel, Wellington Airport: near completion.
• Cuba Street Precinct, Stage One: the strengthening of the former Farmers and surrounding heritage buildings and conversion into offices and retail. Work has commenced and completion looks likely to be mid 2020.
• 29 Brandon Street: strengthening and refurbishment of large heritage building and refurbishment for office space. Should be completed this year;
• 111 Dixon Street; 20L apartment tower, not sure when it's due for completion - maybe by the end of the year.
• Alpha Apartments: completion this year.
• Stewart Dawsons Corner: Conversion of three heritage buildings into a large retail building. There is also an office development accompanying this development but so far only the retail component has been confirmed.
• NZ Post House: strengthening/refurbishment. Completion date unknown. Interesting fact, NZ Post has now become so denuded as a corporation that it will no longer be called NZ Post House - tenants are being sought with naming rights on offer.
• Oaks Hotel Courtenay: New 225 room hotel in heritage building. Conversion ongoing. I haven't really heard anything about this, but I'm wondering how they're going to fit 225 rooms into that building. For comparison, Rydges on Featherson St has about the same number of rooms and the new Rydges at the airport has 136, while the building is large it's certainly not the same size as Rydges on Featherston or twice the size as the new building at the airport. Because of this I'm wondering if there's going to be a new building added to the Courtenay frontage at some point in the future.
• Indian High Commission: construction stalled, currently in limbo.
• Transmission Gully: 2020?

• 8 Willis Street and Stewart Dawsons Corner: extensive redevelopment of an old office tower and side addition above the ongoing Stewart Dawsons Corner retail development. Consented.
• Bowen Campus Stage Two: two new buildings comprising 20,000sqm proposed for behind the current Bowen buildings. The developer, Precinct, is currently looking for tenants. A consent has not yet been sought.
• One Whitmore street: currently a Z petrol station, a 20,000sqm tower similar to the recently completed 20 Customhouse Quay tower is planned for the site. Currently seeking tenants. A consent has not yet been sought.
• Town Hall and National Music Hub. Near the construction stage but the strengthening work proper on the Town Hall is yet to begin, nor has a contractor been announced and given the history of the project caution is advisable. The National Music Hub component of the project is still to be confirmed by the WCC, VUW, and NZSO.
• Pipitea House: 15,000sqm office building for which consent has been sought.
• Kate Sheppard Place: large hotel/apartment building currently in its third iteration. Consent application will be made soon.
• Thorndon Quay Hotel: 9L apartment hotel building. Consent application has been submitted.
• Site 9: Premium office building on the waterfront. Tenant secured, consent applied for, but Waterfront Watch will probably be sniffing around.
• Featherston Street Tower: originally it was going to be a wooden tower, now apparently it's just going to be a re-clad and extension of the existing tower, but haven't heard or seen anything.
• Cuba Precinct Stage Two: a large mixed use development with an 8L office tower and 17L apartment building. Consent has been applied for and marketing has begun. Work could start this year.
• Civic Square Buildings: Library needs strengthening/refurbishment, former Council Administration Building probably needs to be demolished, Civic Square structures (bridge) needs significant work, and there are plans to build new buildings on the MFC carpark.
• Amora Hotel and Carpark: strengthening and refurbishment plans stalled and the new owner is yet to make his intentions clear.
• Deloitte House (former): same owner as above and also same situation as above re intentions. The previous owners had planned a significant redevelopment of the building.
• Reading Cinemas and Courtenay Central: wide-ranging redevelopment proposed including hotel, car parking, offices, arthouse cinema, supermarket, retail. The centre is currently closed due to earthquake risks and there is no word on the current state of the building or on the development plans or timeframe.
• Convention Centre: approved by the WCC and is significantly on the way to construction, but there is at least one more hoop to jump through (namely whether the $25m asked for from the Government will eventuate).
• West Plaza Hotel: I know nothing about this other than the fact that in a recent Council document it said that redevelopment was imminent.
• Apartments in Newtown: roughly ten small-medium sized developments happening across Newtown and vicinity, most are consented. Some examples: King St, 95 apartments; Constable St, 75; Mary Potter Hospice, 40; Rintoul St, 40. Several are under construction.
• Arlington Stage Two: large inner-city Council owned area for which a social housing/Kiwibuild plan is being developed alongside government.
• Airport Extension: in the courts.
• Let's Get Wellington Moving: light rail, tunnels, trenches, lane removals; a potentially transformative transport plan for the city.
• 91 Dixon Street: another Stratum apartment development. In the planning stages.
• 104 Dixon Street: rumoured sister development of 111 Dixon apartments.
• 123 Vivian Street: extensive refurbishment and extension of an old office building. Consent has been applied for and tenant has probably been found.
• Northern Gateway: integrated ferry terminal at Kaiwharawhara for both ferry companies. Currently in the planning stages.
• Concert Arena and Precinct: new events arena currently being planned for Wellington. One possible site is the land surrounding the present Bluebridge terminal. If it is this site then other developments, office and apartments, will probably accompany it.
• Cruise Ship Terminal: possibly part of the above precinct.
• Chinese Embassy: new compound in Mount Cook.
• Frank Kitts Park and Chinese Garden: court cases have, hopefully, stopped work to begin in stages.
• Office Conversions: various WCC/private developer conversions planned as well as several private conversions (11 Church St, the former Weltec building, for instance).
• Defence House (former): proposed rebuild.
• Street Upgrades: Taranaki Street, Kent and Cambridge Terraces.
• Shelly Bay: consent being resubmitted for a probably reduced development.
  

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  8 Willis Street and Stewart Dawsons Corner: an 11 (or 12) storey office building being built to house Stats NZ's 1,000 or so staff. In addition to the office building, the site also has a large retail element; three levels of retail behind the heritage Stewart Dawsons Corner facades, probably going to be leased by a large international retailer (i.e. H&M).

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  Pinnacle Apartments, Victoria Street: 17L, a mix of apartments and hotel rooms, construction well underway.

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  Brandon House, 149 Featherston Street: no longer built of wood, now merely a full refurbishment of the current building and the addition of a few floors. Constructions underway, old facade stripped.

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  10 Brandon Street, the former Deloitte Tower: significant strengthening of current building with alterations to the facade.

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  New Zealand Post House (former): significant strengthening works and minor exterior alterations. Although NZ Post retains a few floors, the main tenant will be the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Housing New Zealand (now Kainga Ora).

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  Wellington Town Hall strengthening: work has begun to base-isolate and refurbish the building for the NZSO, NZSM, Orchestra Wellington and the public. The estimated cost of the work is $112.4 million plus a contingency allowance.

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  Ramada Hotel, Vivian Street: Construction has started.

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  Paddington Townhouses: 152 townhouses being built on a large site in Te Aro, work has begun and completion is being advertised as 2021.

• Sunset West Apartments, upper Victoria Street: 7 storey development, 28 apartments offered through KiwiBuild.

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  Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre: large base-isolated building currently under construction, due for completion 2022.

• 94-102 Cuba Street: strengthening of the former Farmers store and surrounding buildings for retail and office. Office space largely leased to GWRC. Construction due to be complete by the end of the year.

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  Indian High Commision: construction has resumed after a long hiatus caused by the collapse of the former contractor, Ebert.

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  Wellington Children's Hospital: construction underway.

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  Wakefield Hospital redevelopment: construction underway.

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  Transmission Gully, Peka Peka to Otaki. Both supposed to be completed either this year or next.

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  One Whitmore Street (confirmed): 20,000 sqm, 12 storey, base-isolated office building being built for BNZ by Newcrest developers. Building consented, construction expected to commence this year.

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  Bowen Campus stage two (consented): large amount of office space (20,000 sqm) being developed by Precinct to sit alongside the recently redeveloped Bowen Campus. Consisting of two buildings, the development is currently in the leasing stage.

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  Site 9, Wellington waterfront (proposed): a premium grade, base-isolated small office building on the waterfront being developed by Willis Bond. Partly leased to an unknown tenant, awaiting consent.

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  Pipitea House, Molesworth Street (consented): 15,000sqm office building proposed for the site behind St. Paul's Cathedral. Have heard no news on this one.

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  The "Aro" development (proposed): development of 61 townhouses and 48 apartments on a large disused block in upper Willis Street. Developed by the Wellington Company, units are currently being marketed.

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  Victoria Lane development stage one (consented): proposed 17 storey apartment and office building. Over 90% of the 123 apartments have been sold, leasing ongoing for the office/retail space on the lower four floors. Construction likely to start this year.

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  Victoria Lane development stage two (consented): part of the above development, consisting of 7,000 sqm of office space in an 8 storey building. Leasing ongoing. Completion aimed for 2022-23.

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  Civic Square and Wellington City Library: there doesn't seem to be any movement on this but we know that almost all elements of Civic Square need reworking. The library is currently closed due to seismic concerns, no news yet on the extent of the work that is required but it is thought to be significant (though demolition is unlikely). The CAB building, closed since the Kaikoura Earthquake, is probably on its way out, at least it is if the Council gets its way with the insurers - battle ongoing. Elsewhere, the structure of the Square itself (the underground carpark, the seawall, the City to Sea Bridge) all have massive seismic-related question marks surrounding them and work will need to be done to all of these. All of the above will require money that is not readily available, so will the council sell off land around the square such as the Ilott Green and Michael Fowler carpark to developers - almost certainly.

• National Music Centre (proposed): conversion of the former Municipal Office Building for the New Zealand School of Music and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Consent applied for.

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  The Chinese Embassy, Mount Cook (proposed): large site to be developed for the new Chinese Embassy, buildings consented, however, no indication when construction might begin.

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  Archives New Zealand, Aitken Street (proposed): on the site of the former Defence House, the owner, AMP Capital and the Government have partnered to provide a new building for Archives NZ. Funding allocated in last year's budget will allow for planning and consenting. It is anticipated construction will commence mid 2021, with the Archives facility scheduled for completion in late 2024.

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  Arlington social housing development (proposed): large development of 310 social housing units proposed for the Arlington site in Mount Cook. Partnership between local and central government, with Housing New Zealand funding the development of WCC land. Consent applied for, construction timeline unknown.

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  Apartments, 55 Vivian Street (consented): 9 storey apartment building comprising 144 units. Building has been consented but not marketed.

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  Apartments, 47 Vivian Street (confirmed): 9 storey apartment building comprising 51 units. All units sold, construction imminent.

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  Apartments, 104 Dixon Street (consented): development using modular construction, apartments are currently being marketed.

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  Apartments, 91 Dixon Street (planned): another Stratum apartment development on Victoria Street, consent not yet applied for.

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  Apartments, 212 Willis Street (consented): proposed 11 storey stratum development comprising 92 apartments

• Monark Apartments, Adelaide Road (confirmed): 90 apartments being developed by the Wellington Company and offered through KiwiBuild. Construction imminent.

• Hotel, 260 Wakefield Street (proposed): 90 serviced apartments proposed for the Commonsense Organic site. Modular construction to be employed.

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  Hotel, 172 Thorndon Quay (consented): 9 storey hotel proposed for 170 Thorndon Quay, developers are Stratum and Sarin.

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  Amora Hotel and Carpark: strengthening and refurbishment plans stalled and the new owner is yet to make his intentions clear.

• Reading Courtenay strengthening and development of surrounding sites: Reading International intends to strengthen and refurbish its, at present, closed cinema complex and develop the two large, disused sites surrounding the complex. However, Reading has been decidedly quiet about its plans over the last few months. Maybe we'll get a pleasant surprise and see an announcement for a major redevelopment across the whole site, or maybe we'll developments come in dribs and drabs.

• Kate Sheppard Place (proposed): development of disused site, several developments have been proposed for this site in the past decade, the last of which, a 10 storey hotel, had its consent quashed and so it is back to the drawing board.

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  Apartments in Newtown: Multiple small to medium sized developments happening across Newtown and vicinity, most are consented. Some examples: Constable St, 75; Mary Potter Hospice, 40; Rintoul St, 40. Several are under construction.

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  Multiple conversions and strengthening/redevelopments of old office buildings: plenty of conversions of old office buildings into apartments/hotels (both by private developers and in partnership with WCC). Scores of old office buildings being strengthened and refurbished.

• Frank Kitts Park redevelopment: construction of children's playground set to commence this year, timeframe for Chinese Garden and work on remaining park not yet clear.

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  Shelly Bay development (consented): the development of 350 townhouse and apartments at Shelly Bay by the Wellington Company. Strongly opposed in some quarters, the development was this year granted consent by independent commissioners. The threat of legal action from a group within Taranaki Whanui, which sold the site to the Wellington Company, seems to have subsided. However, all is not smooth sailing as the new council is decidedly anti-development and it looks possible that the council will renege on its previously agreed decision to sell the land it owns to the developer. Though arguably the its prospects look better than they did this time last year, there's still plenty of water to flow under the bridge.

• Wellington Airport 2040 (proposed): expansion of terminal and extension of runway.

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  Integrated Ferry Terminal (proposed): proposal to combine the ferry terminals of both operators at either Kaiwharawhara or Kings Wharf. Kaiwharawhara option preferred. Investigations ongoing, construction to be timed with the delivery of the Interislander's new ships.

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  Concert Arena, Cruise Terminal and new office precinct (proposed): planning for a new arena is happening, however, funding is not really forthcoming so I think it'll be a long process. Kings Wharf is the preferred site of the arena (providing Bluebridge will end up at Kaiwharawhara) and a new cruise terminal will likely be here also. Office precinct would likely accompany new arena if the area is developed.

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  Let's Get Wellington Moving (announced): light rail, second Mt Vic tunnel, Basin improvements - the timing of these projects are still much debated.

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  Suburbs: Stebbings Farm, northern Wellington (proposed)/Plimmerton Farm, northern Porirua (proposed)/Eastern Porirua (proposed redevelopment of 2,000 state houses and addition of 2,000 KiwiBuild houses).

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  Roads: Otaki to Levin (confirmed), Melling Interchange (confirmed)/Petone to Grenada (deferred)/Cross Valley Link (deferred).

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  Rail: plenty of work going on across the regional network, further investment announcement last month re Wairarapa and Palmerston connections. New trains asked for for long-distance services. Electrification of Kapiti Line to Otaki also being explored. Strengthening of Wellington Railway Station required.

solom12 said:

Also regarding Reading Cinemas, I’ve heard that they’ve had prospective contractors inspecting the building in the last few weeks. So sounds promising.

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