Should Auckland Council take a more proactive approach in developing Auckland
Reference for the Sketch Up Pocket Park: http://land8.com/photo/athens-urban-park-exparking/next?context=user
In the Long Term Plan consultation document it asks two questions as part of Key Issue Three (or #4 in the orange Household Summary document) it asks:
Do you support the council taking a more active role in the development of Auckland through replacing two existing Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) with a new development agency?
That is the issue being:
Issue:
Should Auckland Council take a more active role in urban redevelopment to radically improve the quality of urban living in Auckland?
Principal options:
(a) Continue to focus on enabling growth
and development through planning and
regulation and the provision of necessary
infrastructure
(b) In addition, through a new development
agency, play a more active role in
facilitating development opportunities
and explore opportunities to use council
land holdings as potential development
sites……
Source: Page 38 of the LTP Consultation booklet embedded at the bottom of this post.
In short what Council is looking at is merging Waterfront Auckland, and Auckland Council Property Limited into this new CCO called Development Auckland. It would act similar to overseas Public Authority development entities and spearhead development often on public authority owned land. Waterfront Auckland has already been doing this in part on the Waterfront but Council wants it to expand that right across all of ACPL’s holding (that it does not sell off prior).
As overseas public authorities use either their transit or development arms to leverage off urban or transport developments within their cities (often through extra income from the developments on their land being able to build future infrastructure) thus if the checks and balances are right I am willing to see this new CCO go for it.
To save going over material covered in Council being proactive via development arm like the proposed Development Auckland CCO (Council Controlled Organisation) here is two podcasts covering the presentation I gave to the Auckland Development Committee last year using Manukau and Miami as examples.
The ADC October, 2014 Presentation
Context
Full Presentation
Presentation Slides
Links
MY ALTERNATIVE FUNDING PACKAGE FOR AUCKLAND’S TRANSPORT PROJECTS
Blogger gets council attention to city strategy ideas
Talking Auckland Analysis into the Alternative Transport Funding Package #2
Introduction to Talking Auckland Analysis into the Alternative Transport Funding Package
The Talking Auckland Long Term Plan Series
- Introduction
- Investing in Auckland (Includes 10 year Budget at a glance)
- Fixing Transport
- Your Rates
- Housing and Development
- Local Board priorities (general unless I get specific requests)
- My feedback indication
- Conclusion
Talking Southern Auckland 
Interesting. The Elected Members do need to put some serious money and investment into West Auckland if they want a left vote. It’s a disgrace. The townships are run down. The pylons don’t get undergrounded. School crossings and buildouts don’t get done – instead we get posters and “education”. Except for Titirangi which is multimillion dollar village of streetscaping, million dollars of annual opex for free arts and environmental festivals, while other communities are left in tatters. Interesting commentary on leasing the above railway area. Think it could be considered. But previous council “property” trusts have not resulted in profit and the trusts have been tied up again with elected members and shady deals. We need more transparency over where the money is going before the council should have more power . I’d support the CCO’s staying seperate as checks and balances until we get some proper transparency over council budgets.