Wakatipu High moved campus from town some years ago, and the CBD’s banks have all decamped to Frankton.
Last week, Colliers vacated an Athol St floor — about 30 residential real agents and support staff moved to Frankton, though the firm’s kept one floor for other staff.
Then, late this month, Queenstown’s oldest law firm, Mactodd, moves out of the CBD for the first time in its 50-year history.
Director Clark Pirie says their Church St lease was expiring and their new Remarkables Park premises are "configured better for us than anything else we could find in the CBD".
"We did keep an open mind about remaining in the CBD, but we’re extremely conscious of professional service providers moving out to Frankton and avoiding, really, that Frankton Rd [congestion].
"That’s not going to suit everybody because we’ve got [about 20] staff right throughout the Whakatipu Basin, but certainly the majority of us will find our week a little easier in terms of transit to the office."
It’ll be more convenient for most of their clients too, Pirie adds, though he believes some professional service providers and real estate offices will always remain in the CBD.
CBD-based businessman Adrian Januskiewicz says "I think it’s really sad" to see the exodus to Frankton.
"I get why those people are making those moves — their clients say it’s too hard to get a park in town and the traffic on Frankton Rd’s too busy — but I think for hospitality, particularly, that must be very difficult.
"And until you fix the parking issue in town and until you fix the commuting issue on Frankton Rd, there’s no solution for it."
Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce chief executive Sharon Fifield also says the situation’s "unfortunate".
"It’s a shame but maybe those spaces will convert to something else — we’ll see over time — but I think some sort of transport solution would be a game-changer for the CBD."
Remarkables Park developer Alastair Porter, however, says "the shift of offices from the CBD was inevitable because of the traffic congestion getting in and out of town and because of the lack of carparking, but I don’t think it’s a negative for the downtown".
"Those offices are going to be taken over by, perhaps not other offices but by other users — there will be people in them who will continue to use the facilities in the downtown.
"It could well be accommodation, and accommodation’s there 24 hours of the day, so it could be better for the downtown."
