Major new development
Bigger Bunnings with Starbucks, Burger King and Popeyes
Alarge new Bunnings store is planned for Taupō, in a development that includes a Starbucks, Burger King and new American fast food chain Popeyes.
The application and planning documents seen by the Taupō & Tū rangi Herald give the first look at the new retail zone, which included a large Bunnings Warehouse store of more than 9000m2 along with the fast food retailers and 271 parking spaces.
The site on Napier Road would place the Australian-owned DIY chain across the road from Taupō‘s Mitre 10 Mega on Crown Road.
The Starbucks would be the first in the Waikato outside of Hamilton, with Central Plateau fans previously needing to drive to Rotorua or Napier to get their American coffee fix.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, previously known as Popeyes Chicken, were also included in the plans.
There are currently no branches of the USA fast food giant in Aotearoa, although job vacancy postings in March this year indicated that the brand would be making the journey here.
This could mean Kiwis get their first chance to try out the company’s famous fried chicken at the Taupō location.
The third fast food store in the development is a Burger King, which a spokeswoman confirmed would be the second site in the town rather than replacing the existing one on Roberts Street. The plans are in the resource consent application stage and were yet to be finalised, but could mark a major development in the eastern Taupō area.
Currently, the site is largely empty, with the Westervelt office building as the only structure.
This building would remain under the new plan.
The area off Napier Road has long been slated for development as part of Taupō District Council’s master plan for the East Urban Lands area.
The original vision varied significantly from the proposed new plan, with the land slated for a mixed use including offices, education and industrial buildings.
The area forms part of a much larger parcel of land, which also contains space for up to 2,200 residential homes.
However, an application was made to Taupō District Council to diverge from the original plan, carving the space into four lots for commercial development.
The Westervelt building and an empty zone owned by the council comprise two of the lots, which would remain unchanged under the current plans.
The remaining two lots would become the fast food complex and Bunnings store.
Due to Taupō District Council’s interest in the land, and its ownership of sites to the immediate south and west of the proposed retail development, it has elected to refer the consent decision to independent commissioner Ann Nicholas.