DRAFT HASTINGS CITY CENTRE PLAN A collective vision for Hastings City Centre The Hastings District Council is releasing the Draft City Centre Plan (‘the Plan’) for public comment and feedback. Copies of The Plan are available from Council, or they can be viewed online via http://www. myvoicemychoice.co.nz/cityplan or in hard copy at all libraries and in the reception of Council. The Plan contains further details on the projects and initiatives proposed. This document provides a summary of the information contained within the Plan. Your feedback and comments on the information contained within this document or the Plan are welcome until 1 May 2013.
Why do we need a Plan? In recognition of these challenges, the Hastings District Council has led a process to develop a City Plan to help position Hastings City Centre into the future. The Plan is visionary allowing scope for creativity and innovation while remaining flexible to ensure it is pragmatic, grounded and achievable. The Plan ensures that our historical foundations are recognised and retained, while the emerging form, function and future land use activities are managed and appropriately directed. Creating and maintaining a quality City Centre involves the preparation, development and implementation of a Plan for all to follow. In order for the Plan to be successful it requires the support and commitment of all.
Focus of the Plan
Balancing our heritage and cultural identity with a growing and innovative economy will add strength. Our City Centre will be recognised for its ‘can do’ attitude. A strong desire to work with commercial enterprise and investors in a holistic, innovative and collaborative manner, which results in the betterment of our City Centre.
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Strengthening our City Centre identity.
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Create quality open spaces and connections.
Our future is filled with challenges
Integrate and concentrate activity in the City Centre.
Hastings, like many New Zealand cities has to position itself for the future as a sustainable, competitive and resilient City.
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Using precincts to provide opportunities.
While the short-term forecasts tell us that Hastings District, broader Hawke’s Bay and much of provincial New Zealand have challenging times ahead, we have the ability to collectively shape our future into one that is great for all.
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Reinforce and contain our City Centre urban form.
City centre’s that function well are recognised as having a strong competitive edge that generates business and attracts people, protecting existing strengths and unlocking future opportunities.
Hastings City Centre has largely developed around the historic grid pattern on which the City was planned.
Our City Centre identity has emerged out of the people, events and activities of the past, and this identity continues to evolve and change today. Our temperate climate, cultural, settler and built heritage defines our City Centre, providing a unique experience for visitors and residents. Our heritage is celebrated through our public art and the redevelopment of key cultural and arts anchors such as the impending redevelopment of Civic Square.
The Plan focuses on five goal areas:
CREATE QUALITY OPEN SPACES AND CONNECTIONS
STRENGTHENING OUR CITY CENTRE IDENTITY
While much of this Plan is focused on the physical form and functions of our City Centre, it also identifies softer initiatives to strengthen the identity of our City Centre as a great people place.
Suggestions include: •
Implementing a Hastings City Centre focused Safety Plan.
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Piloting the introduction of a City Assist Program.
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Promoting ‘people’ activity in the City Centre as a way of bringing vibrancy and vitality.
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Attracting short duration pop up and precinct focused events, activities and initiatives.
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Tell us what you think…
The Plan Focuses on:
We welcome your feedback on any of the initiatives proposed in the Plan.
1. Improving the vibrancy of our City Centre. 2. Promoting the things that make our City Centre great. 3. Growing our City Centre activity programme. 4. Developing our economy and embracing progressive and innovative thinking. 5. Using gateways to build identity.
Submission forms and copies of the Plan are available for viewing at the Council, libraries and on the website http://www. myvoicemychoice.co.nz/cityplan
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6. Civic Square – our cultural hub.
IMPLEMENTATION This Plan sets out the City Centre aspirations of our community. Many of the actions will involve input from public and private sector agencies and organisations. The actions, projects and initiatives proposed to fulfil the vision will not occur at once They will be staged over a period of 20 years. Even then, timelines are indicative and open to change depending on the economic, social, cultural and environmental situation at the time. This Plan focuses on a number of catalyst projects which attempt to move the City Centre forward over the next 20 years and in some cases beyond.
3. Public / private partnerships to rejuvenate the City Centre. 4. The sale / redevelopment of Council owned assets to move the City Centre forward. 5. Sourcing of funds from external parties.
Tell us what you think? The Plan contains a number of suggestions for improving our City Centre. We welcome your feedback on any of the initiatives proposed in the Draft Plan. How important are the ideas and initiatives proposed in the Plan? Should the Plan focus on something else?
What will it cost? The Plan contains high level cost estimates for catalyst projects.
Comments are welcome through to 4pm Wednesday 1 May 2013.
The Plan has been developed in light of a Council’s funding demands. There are a range of existing and possible funding sources to deliver the Plan. The funding of public projects will be identified, quantified and prioristised between now and the 2015/25 LTP, and where appropriate, incorporated into Council’s planning cycles for consideration thereafter.
Other funding sources, initiatives and opportunities will require investigation depending on the situation and may include: 1. Government departments - NZTA, other. 2. Private sector led redevelopment and/or investment.
Establishing a unified City Centre Leadership Structure. Establishing a unified City Centre Promotions, Marketing and Economic Development Strategy.
2. Providing a variety of small spaces for people.
Seeking out opportunities to grow our City Centre economy.
4. Providing suitably located and appropriately sized public car parking facilities.
Supporting businesses that are at the forefront of new technology, research and innovation.
5. Technology - high speed fibre.
Supporting Initiatives that foster pride in our City Centre and showcase the things that are uniquely Hastings.
Please send your comments to: Strategy and Development Group Hastings District Council Private Bag 9002 Hastings 4156 Email: cityplan@hdc.govt.nz Online: http://www.myvoicemychoice.co.nz/ cityplan
Want to find out more? Go to the website http://www. myvoicemychoice.co.nz/cityplan
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Piloting a mixed-use development in the City Centre, one that integrates commercial / office / education activities with residential / accommodation activities.
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Designing buildings and developments zthat are adaptable to fulfil a mixture of future possible uses.
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Investigating the opportunity to establish a precinct of inner city living in the Hastings City Centre.
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Investigating the opportunity of a Hastings City Centre visitor accommodation offering.
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Investigating the opportunity to ‘pilot’ an education, training, youth services and innovation anchor within our City Centre.
The Plan focuses on: 1. Activity precincts and anchors. 2. Allowing for a mixture of uses. 3. Providing opportunities for inner city living and visitor accommodation. 4. Providing opportunities - education, training, youth and innovation.
Establishing precincts and activity anchors to strengthen the identity, sense of place and character of our City Centre.
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Completing a detailed Design and Cost Plan for redeveloping the railway link.
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Utilising the remaining Nelson Park Green Space fund to progress the design of Central City parks.
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Liaising with developers, property owners and investors to encourage the establishment of well designed public/ private spaces.
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Transforming the existing laneway located at the rear of the shops along Heretaunga Street West into a vibrant, safe, feeder for people and cyclists.
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Investigating a ‘pilot’ Council led pedestrian connection project, providing pedestrian connection with appropriately located public car parking facilities.
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The form and structure of our City Centre is characterised by a number of distinctive patterns and physical features. The compact, easily walkable form of the City Centre laid out on the historic street grid and the many heritage buildings are some of the City’s most valued attributes. However, as a result of changes to land use needs and increased traffic demands, the original block structure has been eroded. New development provides the opportunity to re-establish what has been lost and enhance what is valued. This Plan supports any opportunity to strengthen the existing form and character of the City Centre, while optimising development potential and improving the City Centre’s overall identity.
The Plan Focuses on: 1. Continuing to educate developers and property owners on the design guidelines for building development. 2. Identify ‘development opportunity sites’ and develop site specific design briefs to facilitate/encourage high standard development.
Suggestions include: In recent times, Hastings City businesses, like those in other centres, have experienced the impacts of the economic downturn, emerging growth in on-line retailing, as well as unique factors such as the elongation of the commercial zone, and physical separation of east and west due to the railway line.
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Using the District Plan to guide commercial, professional and retail activities into the City Centre.
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Concentrating commercial and office activities into the City Centre to help sustain retail, hospitality, entertainment and passive recreation sectors.
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Using commercial activities as defining buffers and/or edges, between land use activities and precincts.
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Marketing the City Centre as the prime location for positioning and developing commercial, professional services and retail enterprise.
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Encouraging the establishment of an identity strengthening event.
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Establishing a Hastings Marketing and Promotion Strategy and Action Plan, one that integrates east and west.
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Completing the renewal of the Heretaunga Street West 200 Block. Improving connectivity across the rail line.
Reviewing carparking requirements in the City Centre.
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Marketing the technology benefits of our City Centre.
A vibrant, defined, competitive and sustainable City Centre is essential.
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Establishing a Street Enhancement and investment programme.
This Plan recognises the importance of ensuring that both sides of the City Centre fulfil their potential as destinations in their own right.
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Continuing to educate and empower property owners, developers and retailers to recognise and embrace the uniqueness of our City Centre’s built heritage.
The Plan focuses on:
Investigating fit for purpose public transport opportunities.
1. Recognising our City Centre needs limits.
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Integrating people movement opportunities into developments.
3. Our main street.
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Investigating movement opportunities across roads and the railway line.
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Ongoing monitoring of public transport routes.
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6. Creating attractive streets. 7. A city that is compact and easy to move around.
Integrating new well designed car parking facilities in close proximity to key destinations.
Because of its central location, the Hastings City Centre will continue to act as a key commerce and retail anchor of the Hawke’s Bay.
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3. Through block people connections.
REINFORCE AND CONTAIN OUR CITY CENTRE URBAN FORM
Activity and identity precincts provide a clear signal as to the form, function and identity of individual parts of our City Centre.
The actions in this Plan attempt to strengthen existing areas of defined activity, while promoting the opportunity for the conglomeration of commercial, retail, residential and educational activities, to create adaptable areas of use.
1. The Central City railway link.
Designing and installing gateways at key City Centre locations. Redeveloping Civic Square.
USING PRECINCTS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES
Precinct planning supported by effective zoning provisions provides a level of clarity as to the preferred types of activities, land uses and building forms, while allowing flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changes as and when they occur.
In order for Hastings to remain competitive it is vital that the structure of the City Centre is legible with defined and active street edges. It must be accessible with well connected networks of good quality streets, green links and open spaces.
The Plan focuses on:
Is the Plan bold enough? Submissions can be made online, via email or letter. Please ensure that your submission is entitled “Draft City Centre Plan Submission”. Submission forms and copies of the Plan are available for viewing from 28/3/13 at the Council, libraries and on the website http:// www.myvoicemychoice.co.nz/cityplan
While the grid pattern is one of our City Centre’s strengths, over time with the closure of roads, removal of buildings and changing transport behaviours its structure has become eroded.
Suggestions include:
INTEGRATE AND CONCENTRATE ACTIVITY IN THE CITY CENTRE
Suggestions include: •
Ensuring new buildings strengthen and improve continuity of street edge and create positive public space.
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Encouraging new buildings with active street frontages, human scale features and shelter that facilitate people movement.
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Integrating servicing and car parking in a way that does not compromise the quality of the street edge or the status of the main entry to the building.
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Ensuring new buildings are of good design quality and their design is flexible to adapt to a number of different activities.
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Promoting sustainable design outcomes.
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Balancing heritage protection with the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings.
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Maintaining and enhancing the collective character of heritage groupings and precincts through controls in the District Plan and Design Guides.
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Ensuring that large scale comprehensive development helps to strengthen the urban form of our City Centre and where appropriate integrate mid-block pedestrian links and car parking.
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Facilitating development of new and/ or redevelopment of existing buildings via site-specific design briefs to optimise development potential and strengthen the compactness of the City Centre.
2. The East End experience. 4. Putting people in the heart of our City Centre. 5. Maximising the benefits of our Central City land assets.
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A COLLECTIVE VISION FOR HASTINGS CITY CENTRE
AT A GLANCE DRAFT PLAN
IN 20 YEARS HASTINGS CITY CENTRE WILL BE…
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Hastings - City Centre of choice
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Great living for a sustainable and competitive future…
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CREATE QUALITY OPEN SPACES AND CONNECTIONS
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Using gateways to create identity
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Civic Square redevelopment
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The Central City Green Link
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People spaces / nodes
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Connections
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Possible future parking nodes
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Attractive Streets programme
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City Centre limits
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Connecting east and west
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Land use opportunities
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In 2035 Hastings City Centre will be a resilient, competitive and vibrant place that recognises and embraces its primary sector roots and cultural diversity as the true heart of Hawke’s Bay.
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CONCEPT SHOWING IMPROVED STREET APPEAL
Development opportunity sites
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HERETAUNGA STREET EAST EVENING MARKET EVENT
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EMBRACE OUR FUTURE
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NORTHERN CARPARK MIXED USE CONCEPT
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Using gateways to create identi
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Civic Square redevelopment
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The Central City Green Link
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People spaces / nodes
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Connections
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Possible future parking nodes
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Attractive Streets programme
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City Centre limits
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Connecting east and west
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Land use opportunities
A CONNECTED PEOPLE CENTRE
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Hastings City Centre Plan - Note: This image is an artists impression only
Development opportunity sites
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EMBRACE THE COMPACT AND FLAT NATURE OF OUR TOPOGRAPHY
ESTABLISH MORE CAFES, RESTAURANTS AND NIGHTLIFE
HASTINGS CENTRAL CITY RAIL LINK CONCEPT
A COMPACT, LEGIBLE, VIBRANT, ACCESSIBLE AND CONNECTED PEOPLE CENTRE