Varina Ltd and Sneaky Curlew Pty Ltd made submissions to the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s proposed district plan, to have the southern side of Brownston St and all of Russell St included in the Wanaka town centre zone.
Both companies own properties on the southern side of Brownston St. Commissioners Ian Munro, Jenny Hudson and Trevor Robinson heard evidence on the proposal on day eight of the Upper Clutha mapping hearing. The northern side of the street is already included in the town centre zone, while the rest of the street is in a medium-density residential zone within the Wanaka town centre transition overlay zone.
Most of the properties on the southern side of the Brownston St are already used for commercial purposes but are restricted in terms of the height of buildings and how far back from the road they are set. They also have to provide for parking, a condition imposed on buildings inside the town centre zone on a case-by-case basis.
In her evidence for Varina Ltd, urban designer Jill Corson told the commissioners the proposed zone change would allow Brownston St to be transformed from its present "back-of-the-house feel" into a vibrant urban boulevard. She did not expect this to happen overnight but rather it would be a gradual movement towards something much better, Ms Corson said.
In her rebuttal evidence, QLDC senior policy analyst Vicki Jones said the current zoning of the area and design controls allowed for a quality streetscape.
Council staff have recommended the zoning stay as it is. Traffic issues were also raised during the hearing as Brownston St is seen as an important arterial road for the town as the council looks to divert some traffic away from Ardmore St.
In his evidence for Varina Ltd, traffic engineer Andrew Carr said under the current zoning traffic zones were likely to increase with multiple small car parks. In his view a town centre zoning for Brownston St would allow for the safe, efficient use of the road because parking and vehicle access would be better addressed and parking could be provided elsewhere rather than on individual sites. Mr Munro questioned Mr Carr about his conclusions about the traffic, asking him if the street was to be rezoned whether the cost of developing parking would be passed on to the council.
Mr Carr agreed it was possible but said it could give the council more control over where parking was provided, potentially allowing for more efficient traffic management in the town centre.
