We are in the News today and tomorrow TV3 Newshub 6pm
Hi all
Andrew K's presentation has stirred alot of media interest, leading up to THURSDAY Councillors Vote day!!
Watch Andrew K and Gael Baldock on TV3 Newshub tomorrow WEDS 6pm- both fervent supporters of this petition and both put huge amount of work in, behind the scenes. (Huge thanks to Andrew & Gael)
See Media articles below.
How can you help?-
1-See my last update for Councillors emails- write and urge them to NOT SELL, BUT BUILD ON TOP. MAKE $200ML for our rates!
2- See my last updates for how to SHARE this Petition to all your friends/family/social media and ALL YOUR EMAIL CONTACTS.
LETS GET TO 10,000 before Thursday!
Herald article today:
NBR Article today:
Downtown Carpark update
https://www.nbr.co.nz/.../krukzieners-unveiled-threat.../
Krukziener's 'unveiled threat' over council carpark sale - Tim Hunter 21 Nov 2023
An Auckland Council meeting on Thursday is due to vote on the controversial sale of its Downtown Carpark to Precinct Properties.
A development concept for the Downtown Carpark.
Property developer Andrew Krukziener is doubling down on his threat to sue Auckland Council if it votes to sell the Downtown Carpark to NZX-listed Precinct Property on Thursday.
"It is a very unveiled threat," he told NBR on Monday. "I'm meeting my lawyers tonight."
Precinct has been the preferred bidder for the council asset since November last year but the deal has met increasingly vocal opposition from Krukziener, who argues an alternative scheme could release more cash and retain the carparks as a crucial infrastructure asset for the city centre.
In an unusual presentation to the council's Transport and Infrastructure Committee last Thursday, Krukziener argued the deal being put to council this week would fail to meet its own strategic objectives from the sale.
In a testy exchange with Councillor Chris Darby, Krukziener said if the council agreed to sell the building:
"The likelihood that the Save Queen Street Society brings litigation against the council ... is much greater and our claim is more certain than any claim Precinct may have and you would, under section 77 [of the Local Government Act], not have fulfilled your obligations."
When Darby asked: "Is that a soft threat?" Krukziener said: "It's not a soft threat at all."
In June 2021, after the council agreed in principle to sell the building, its planning committee decided the sale would be subject to meeting certain strategic conditions.
Lefties in council
The key requirements were the inclusion of a bus station in the development, a "multimodal transport hub" and details of public car parking to be provided.
Krukziener said he understood none of those requirements were in the proposed agreement with Precinct.
"The lefties in council and within AT are so desperate to get rid of the public parking in the city, so everybody takes a bus, bike, or scooter, they will agree to anything to achieve that outcome."
On Krukziener's numbers, the council is proposing selling the car park for $150 million but associated costs would reduce its net proceeds to about $47m.
Those costs would include $13m to compensate the owner of the MSocial hotel - NZX-listed Millennium & Copthorne - for the loss of its carparks in the adjacent building; $15m for demolition; and $75m for related reconstruction including removing the flyover linking Quay St with Hobson and Fanshawe streets.
His alternative plan involves retaining the carparking building and selling the air rights allowing development above it.
A valuation commissioned from Aim Valuation by the Save Queen Street Society estimated the value of air rights at $43.8m, given the area of the existing building and assuming the city's standard 13:1 floor area ratio, less the cost of structural changes allowing development above it.
After allowing for 500 spaces to go to the developers and the loss of 244 spaces for construction, the remaining 1200 would be worth about $108m, said Aim.
Krukziener also provided figures to the council suggesting Precinct's plan would require excavation of the site and more than 13,000 truck movements to remove the excavated material.
"The amount of landfill is staggering. If they're serious about being green, they absolutely need to be looking at retaining [the building] and building on top of it rather than digging a huge hole."
Parking capacity
According to the council's 2021 planning documents, the building features 1944 car parks, of which 1148 are for short-term parking and 796 are for lease.
The building represents about half of Auckland
Transport's off-street parking capacity. The council controls about 13% of city centre parking.
Andrew Krukziener.
Precinct has not published details of its proposed development but images obtained by the NZ Herald showed two 40-storey towers of residential and office accommodation.
An online petition against the carpark sale organised by Aucklander Sheryl Heimgartner through the website Change.org has garnered more than 9000 signatures.
In 2021, the Save Queen Street Society took legal action against the council over pedestrianisation works in Queen St but failed to win an injunction and the claim was withdrawn after the parties reached agreement over aspects of the work.
@TimHunter5
Kindest regards
Shery