Work proper on Tauranga’s new waterfront development is expected to begin after Easter 2012 and be completed by the end of the 2011-2012 financial year.
A Tauranga City Council report to be considered on Wednesday states this and shows consents have been obtained for the work and no appeals lodged.
A Priority One plan of how The Strand waterfront could look after development.
The delayed start is to accommodate events already scheduled for the waterfront between now and January 2012.
There’s the boat expo early next month from November 2-7, Rods on the Waterfront November 11-12, the Dutch Christmas Festival December 3, and the Capoeira and Latino Festival on December 10.
There are also wakeboard events and a possible seafood festival sometime in mid January 2012.
The meeting is also expected to endorse the Waterfront Taskforce involving councillors,
staff and economic development agency Priority One to focus on commercialising the development.
The taskforce includes councillors Larry Baldock, Tony Christiansen, Bill Grainger and Terry Molloy, CEO Ken Paterson and Priority One representative Duarne Lankshear.
The council is proposing to spend $625,000 on the waterfront redevelopment, minus outstanding costs from the resource consent hearing process.
Most of the money is coming from the $400,000 budgeted for the now defunct Coronation Pier Project, plus $120,000 for the Coronation Pier Infrastructure Project.
This is to be voted on at the meeting, but is based on confidential decisions made in April.
The planned intentions at this stage are:
- A walkway beside the harbour for the length of the waterfront reclamation, a southern space that can support events and temporary activities while maintaining access for users of the boat ramp.
- Minor adjustments to the Edgewater Fan area that make it more attractive for small scale commercial activities and respond to some existing maintenance issues in the area.
- A central space that can support events and temporary activities while maintaining a number of car parks due to the need to access the southern end for boat ramp users.