Vibrant CBD essential for healthy city economy
Vacant building alongside City Focus proposed to become ICE [Inner City Enterprises] Centre bringing more services into the CBD.
Go to any city in the world where there is a strong local economy and you'll find one common factor - a busy and vibrant CBD.
Healthy, bustling inner cities are essential for commercial and retail businesses, for local residents shopping and dining, and for international and domestic visitors.
CBDs are the shop window' for any city. The likelihood of people wanting to visit, invest, or relocate is significantly enhanced if that city's heart is seen to be beating strongly. And that's the principle behind Rotorua District Council's Urban Design Framework project for revitalising our CBD.
The challenge is to adjust what's on offer and broaden the reasons for coming downtown.
In recent times we've developed the Eat Street dining precinct, set up the popular Night Market, installed Walkable City' way-finding information panels, and right now we're finalising free WiFi in the CBD.
Next we'll be making Tutanekai Street intersections more pedestrian-friendly with easier crossings, better seating and landscaped street corner pocket parks.'
The latest initiatives represent the next phases in revitalising our inner city area, and are in part a response to changing trends in business and retailing (eg online shopping, big box' stores.)
These newest proposals are out for public consultation in the 2013/14 draft Annual Plan. They are about providing more reasons for people to come into the CBD and about generating more foot traffic. They include a shift to free on-street parking based on time limits, and automation of the Pukuatua Street car park building to a 24-hour operation.
Also proposed are new centrally located, high quality public restrooms alongside City Focus, replacing our old Hinemoa and Pukuatua streets public toilets.
And we're proposing to purchase a vacant building alongside City Focus to bring into the CBD an i-Site visitor centre, council customer centre, events ticketing outlet, meeting centre, more events and increased utilisation of the City Focus public space. To further boost public safety CBD operational staff would be based at this building - the ICE Centre (Inner City Enterprises) - giving them higher visibility in the central city.
A summary of the draft Annual Plan's key issues will be published in this newspaper on Friday and the detailed draft plan is available from rdc.govt.nz. Do take the opportunity to send a submission to the mayor and councillors letting them know what proposals you support or don't support - and why. Submissions close on 3 May.