Commercial and Industrial Development

Transcription

1 Commercial and Industrial Development Total number of resource consents Types of resource consents Purpose of indicator The commercial zones design, appearance, and suitability of buildings contribute to the district s economic health through consumer appeal. The most significant commercial zones are in the CBD, but commercial zones also include Ngongotaha Village and smaller neighbourhood commercial centres. Industrial zones also contribute to the district s economy by providing areas for employment opportunity, locally made goods and services and exportation of goods. This indicator gauges trends in activity in these zones through resource consents granted over and above those activities that are permitted. The main environmental effects controlled by the district plan in commercial zones affect amenity, the main elements including, noise, vehicle parking and movements, and signs. Industrial zones are very permissive and acknowledge there is a place for activities which generate a different amenity not always suitable for other areas. It is important to note that there are many permitted activities in these zones for which resource consent is not needed and therefore this activity is not captured in this data. Current information and trend Commercial zones The number of consents granted in the commercial zones peaked in 2007/08 (46) and again in 2009/10 (42). In 2011/12 these figures almost halved with 27 consents granted in the commercial zones, similar to 2008/09 (26) and 2010/11 (31). Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

2 Figure 1 Figure 2 shows resource consents for new developments/redevelopment in the commercial zones. The most common consent granted in this category was for a new building, followed by residential accommodation, however these numbers are low (6 and 4 respectively). Other consents in this category included new education/ trade facility (2), garage/shed (2), replace building (2), mixed business/residential (1), new office building (1), fast food restaurant and drive through (1) and tourist accommodation (1). The most common consents sought to upgrade/ refurbish or improve in commercial zones were for external alterations and signage (together) and external alterations (alone) shown in figures 3 and 6. These were followed by additions to building (4) and internal alterations (4). There were a small number of use/change of use consents granted (figure 4), the most common being to operate a restaurant. Of all consents in commercial zones about 80% occurred within Commercial zones A and B which cover the CBD. For these zones a resource consent is required for all external alterations and signage to ensure compatibility with the Rotorua City Design Principles. This is reflected in the number of consents for external alterations and signage. An analysis of issues, objectives and policies was undertaken for the review of the Operative Rotorua District Plan. The main issues identified for commercial zones were: Character and context of commercial areas Commercial leakage, sprawl, and conflicts of uses Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Urban Design Retaining Ngongotaha Village s commercial character Traffic, parking, turning, loading and accessibility Managing the balance of providing for signage Availability of suitable land Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

3 In addition to these issues low levels of new activities and number of shop vacancies in the city centre s commercial zones were identified. These issues have been responded to through the Proposed Rotorua District Plan which seeks to enable and encourage commercial activity by: Reducing the need for resource consents Increasing perceived safety and amenity through building and urban design Creating defined boundaries to the city centre to reduce commercial sprawl to surrounding zones, in particular residential and industrial zones The goal is to align the district plan with the Rotorua Economic Growth Strategy, and to attract investment into Rotorua s CBD and create a more vibrant atmosphere. Figure 5 shows subdivision consents in commercial zones. Over the period of 2006/07 to 2011/12 there were 6 consents resulting in new lots and 6 consents for unit title. Most of these occurred in 2006/07 and 2007/08 with no subdivision consents granted in other years. In 2010/11 there was one subdivision consent granted for unit titles in the redevelopment of a large building in the CBD. This unit title subdivision created 29 retail units and 75 residential living units. Large numbers of subdivision consents are not expected in the commercial zones as there is no new land being zoned commercial and most is already developed and divided into small lots. New land has not been zoned as commercial zones in the Proposed Rotorua District Plan, but rather the existing land/area available has been consolidated by limiting sprawl of commercial activities into other zones. This approach intends to strengthen and support existing commercial centres. In other zones, particularly in residential zones, subdivision and new development consent numbers spiked in 2006/07 as a result of the introduction of the development contributions levy. There was a rush for consent applications to be submitted prior to the development contributions levy taking effect. Figure 2 Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

4 Figure 3 Figure 4 Source: Rotorua District Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

5 Figure 5 Figure 6 Industrial zones For the period of 2006/07 to 2011/12 the most common type of consent for new development/redevelopment was for a new building, followed by new office building and retail sales (figure 7). Of the four consents for new office building, two were controlled activities and the remaining two were non-complying activities. In most cases however these are considered supporting activities to permitted activities in industrial zones. The main reason for these zones is to be permissive of heavy and light industrial type activities and have these located together to contain effects that would otherwise be a nuisance in other zones. Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

6 Number of consents In reviewing the Operative District Plan, the following issues were identified for the industrial zones: Issue identified (Operative District Plan) Mitigation of zone interface impacts Managing reverse sensitivity effects within industrial areas Management of amenity and landscaping in industrial zones Table 1 Issue addressed (Proposed District Plan) It is proposed that the Transitional Development Zone be omitted from the Proposed District Plan and inclusion of performance standards and rules included to ensure that amenity of industrial zones and adjoining zones is maintained Policies, rules and performance standards are proposed to ensure adverse effects on adjoining activities within residential zones are mitigated or avoided. Amenity of the city entranceways is addressed through proposed design of development adjoining these. Resource consents for industrial zones show a trend where commercial type activities have located in these zones (figures 7, 8 and 9) which is an issue as industrial zoned land is a finite resource. No new land has been zoned as industrial in the proposed district plan. However rules are included to protect and reinforce its purpose, for example to avoid reverse sensitivity in adjoining land and avoid expansion of retail into industrial areas. A low number of subdivisions is expected in the industrial zone as there is only a limited area of land zoned for this purpose and most is developed and already at a size suitable for industrial purposes. However when compared to subdivision consents granted during the same time period in the commercial zone (figure 5), subdivisions in the industrial zone were greater in number and show a more consistent distribution throughout the years. The expected peak in 2006/07 in consents to avoid development contributions has not eventuated in either the commercial or industrial zone consents data. Types of resource consents for new development/ re-development in industrial zones Garage/ shed New education/ trade facility New office building Restaurant and drive through Mixed use business/residential New building Retail sales-other Demolish building Type of consent 2006/ / / / / /12 Figure 7 Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

7 Number Types of consents for use/change of use/extend use in industrial zones Carwash/ dogwash Dog grooming New office building Consent for new business Operate a restaurant Retail salescars, caravans, motorhomes, boats Retail salesother Hazardous substances storage Type Figure / / / / / /12 Figure 9 Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

8 Number Number Subdivision consents in industrial zones / / / / / /12 Year Figure 10 Freehold subdivision Unit title Boundary adjustment Consents for infrastructure in industrial zones (figure 11) are not unique to these zones. The same types of consents occur in other zones. The general trend shows the most common infrastructure consent across all zones is for a new /upgrade of communications site. Types of resource consents for infrastructure in industrial zones Substation New / upgrade telecommunications site Upgrade/ improvements to infrastructure Type 2006/ / / / / /12 Figure 11 Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

9 Signage is a permitted activity in industrial zones, as long as it meets certain performance criteria. The most common reasons for signage needing consent in the industrial zones were for a sign located within a buffer, a sign larger than the permissible size or a sign placed other than the site where the activity takes place. Figure 12 In Summary Commercial zones Total number of resource consents granted in the commercial zones peaked in 2007/08 (46) and again in 2009/10 (42) The most common consent granted for new development/ redevelopment in the commercial zones was for a new building (6) The most common resource consents sought to upgrade/ refurbish or improve in commercial zones were for external alterations and signage (together) and external alterations (alone) Approximately 80% of resource consents for commercial zones are within commercial zones A and B which cover the CBD There were 6 subdivision consents resulting in new freehold lots and 6 consents for unit title subdivision from 2006/07 to 2011/12 The Proposed Rotorua District Plan aims to encourage investment and activity in the city centre. Industrial zones The industrial zones show a trend where commercial type activities have located in these zones which is a concern because industrial zoned land is a finite resource and commercial sprawl affects the CBD. A low number of consents were granted for upgrade/refurbish/ improve (9) A total of 18 subdivision related consents were granted from 2006/07 to 2011/12, the greatest number in one year being 4 in 2007/08. Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting

10 Further information sources To see the Operative Rotorua District Plan To see the Proposed Rotorua District Plan To make a submission on the Proposed Rotorua District Plan (closes 1 st March 2013) To see the Urban Subdivision Technical Paper To see the Subdivision Lot Sizes Technical Paper To see the Land Suitability and Subdivision Technical Paper Rotorua State of the Environment Reporting