Tekapo businessman Anthony Tosswill yesterday said the revised design was still being tweaked, but reduced the building to 12 storeys above-ground, or about 45m at its highest.
Earlier plans for a mirrored glass finish were also axed, while the building's three towers, base and vehicle access had also been completely reconfigured, he said.
It would also feature two basement car park levels instead of three, but would still offer five-star hotel rooms, apartments and penthouse suites, as well as retail spaces and other features.
The number of hotel rooms with premium views had dropped by 30% as a result of the design changes.
Mr Tosswill said the design changes aimed to mollify earlier critics of his plans for a 17-storey glass hotel and apartment tower, standing up to 60m high, opposite the Dunedin Town Hall.
Asked if he was happy with the compromises, Mr Tosswill said they were "terrible''.
"It's trying to conform with everybody's wishes that objected, and it's trying to get something built.
"I'm very, very unhappy with it. It's terrible to me, but everyone else seems to like it. It's not a landmark. It's not going to be another Dunedin stadium, or anything like that, which I think is sad and a shame.
The changes came after his original bid for consent was rejected by a panel of independent commissioners last year, prompting Mr Tosswill to lodge an Environment Court appeal.
Yesterday, he said mediation talks involving more than 20 parties had been adjourned earlier this year, to allow the revised design to be finalised and then tabled.
He expected to be ready to proceed by the end of July, and he would then either lodge a fresh consent application or resume mediation talks to try to reach agreement.
"If we lodge a new resource consent, we will be specifically applying to be able to lodge that in the Environment Court, rather than going through the commissioners' process again,'' Mr Tosswill said.
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Comments
Dear god - make it stop. This would not even look good as Council Flats in Brixton. I get what he wants to do and I even liked his first design. Would it not be better to put this man and his money in touch with those looking to redevelop the water front where there is already a general concept that seems to meet with wide spread approval. He might wait a bit longer but he would then be leaving a legacy rather than a liability
Agree that he has access to money (from God Knows who) so let them put it into the waterfront with a Damian Brandenburg design. Using local talent of exceptional quality to what will become a 'must see' destination in NZ.
I'd give up now Tony ...
The chances of you ever getting DCC consents on a building over 4 stories high in this town are about the same as Lake Pukaki freezing solid next week.
... and ask the Council to refund all the costs you've incurred trying to bend to their will.
Or perhaps the Council and our community are just waiting for someone to propose something other than a ghastly, architectural throwback that is completely out of keeping with the scale and style of our city-scape?
Ghastly? look at the hospital it doesn't fit in with the city scape, but where is the public out cry for that? Look at the old school money building a 27 room hotel, it doesn't fit either- sure its smaller, look at the bridge and the basin development., I think there is more to this than the design.
The council should be charging him for wasting their time to have to even consider his monstrous designs.
This latest version, which even he doesn't like, should never have seen the light of day.
Not only the council staff and councillors' time and costs (our ratepayer money), but all the submitters time and costs, the commissioners time and costs and our ratepayer money used to prepare the way. Outrageous!
With this one they got Stalin's plans ok, but then they read them upside down.
The last one design was bad, this one is worse.
You have to accept on this site not everybody is going to get a view
The architectural solution to keep the height down is bedrooms on the perimeter of a polyhedral form, and use the centre for restaurants shopping etc similar to the atrium hotels of the '80s. Dont use entirely glass as a cladding. Its a copout.
There are some very good metal panels with a huge variety of colors and textures and a 50 year performance guarantee. Saw it in Switzerland/Austria last year.
You can adapt them to a wide variety of forms including curved or sloping.....anything but a rectangular grid that has'nt changed since curtain wall was invented.
Or "green" architecture as shown on my web site blog.
Ken Taylor Designshop Architecture
DSHOP Yes and I'd like to see local architects involved when I read of ideas like yours.