Top developer chides council
The darling of Hamilton’s development scene, Matt Stark, says council needs to do more to enhance the city’s streetside infrastructure.
The quality, look and feel of Hamilton’s footpaths, street furniture and plantings was lagging well behind sparkling new developments like Made and Union Square, Stark said.
However the mayor and a city councillor say the city can’t keep up with the pace of development in these challenging times.
Stark, the brains behind Hamilton East’s latest high profile development, said he was disappointed by the “cheap, old Hamilton” footpath outside developments like Union Square in Anglsea Street.
He said council had its priorities wrong and money needed to be spent in the CBD.
“We've made them beautiful buildings, and yet we're still waiting on the old footpath to be finished outside of our address [Made and Panama Square].”
Stark, who has been modernising buildings such as Riverbank Lane, Panama and Made, challenged council to “wake up and start directing some of the energy into the CBD.”
Giving a more personal example, Stark points to the footpath outside Made – a cracked curb, a graffitied rubbish bin and street benches with fading paint.
“I can't do up the footpaths. I can't do up the bus stops, I can't do up the street lights. It's only council that can do this. So it's time for council to step up.”
Stark said if the council leads by example, landlords would follow.
“If the council ... clean the footpath and upgrade the surface finishes, upgrade the lights and plantation, some landlords would think to themselves: ‘oh my place looks shabby, I need to do something about it’.”
However, council is hoping private projects could revitalise the city centre first.
For her part Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said she was an optimist and was looking ahead to the opening of the new theatre under construction in Victoria Street.
“I know that when the regional theatre is developed, all of that space including Embassy Park, and in front of the theatre and down Sapper Moore-Jones Place, all of that space will be fantastic.”
Stark understands times are tough for the council, but he said council was too concentrated on other parts of Hamilton and avoided working on the CBD because it was in the “too-hard basket”.
But Southgate disagrees and said $345 million would be invested into the CBD to develop major projects and infrastructure.
Waikato Times understands that investment is part of the proposed 2024-34 Long Term Plan, which will be spent on three waters, transport and community projects,
Councillor Angela O’Leary, who is also chairperson of the Transport & Infrastructure Committee, said the CBD is getting its fair share of attention and funds.
“When is the last time that council invested in Dinsdale or Flagstaff or Glenview or Bader? I don't remember.
“The neighbourhoods in the suburbs in our city are desperate for some investment.”
Meanwhile Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams, who recently said the CBD’s retail vacancy rate may remain high until end of the year, agreed with Stark and saw a need to invest in the city centre.
“I think there is the need to invest in the streets and create a streetscape that is matching the quality of development that's being done. It gives confidence to property owners to continue that investment.”
O’Leary said local government wouldn’t be able to match the speed of the “fantastic things” private developers are doing.
“The private sector can be a lot more nimble and flexible. Local government is a democracy so there are often other businesses around that we have to consult and processes move a little slow.”
Southgate said with the Long Term Plan out for consultation, she’d encourage developers to “make a submission and point out some areas that need to be done sooner”.