Time for an upgrade - Centre Place Bryce Street facade

Kiwi income announced a while ago that it will spend $40m upgrading it's two Centre Place malls in Hamilton (two, as in the original Centre Place and the part once called Downtown Plaza), however it's always played it's cards close to it's chest.

The first announcement as such was made a few days ago, and concerns the northern side of the mall, on Bryce Street, the dull boring side shown here.

This side once boasted shops, in particular, a Cash Converters which moved accross the street a few years ago, and a Postie Plus store. They are now gone, and the windows covered in large stickers (white in the photo above). In other words, this side of the mall looks even more dead than outsides of malls typically do.

But that's all set to change. Kiwi Income plans to do away with the diagonal carparks and the slip lane to the main parking building entrance, and build a dining lane, which will give the mall an outward focus towards Barton Street. Probably not a bad idea as Barton Street and Casabella Lane are two of the more successful streets in terms of retail occupancy at present. Here is an impression of what is proposed. We'll see how it turns out in the end, as these things to change sometimes.

This portion of the upgrade, along with the improved food court inside are due to be completed by September, so it'll be good to see what this all turns out like.

What's the other $30m or so to be spent on? The word through the grapevine is that Kiwi Income will pedestrianise the western portion of Ward Street, and link the two malls together with an outdoor area. However, none of that will commence until the council has finished certain portions of it's City Heart project.

What is going in that gap: Wintec Carpark (cnr Ward and Angelsea)

A few weeks ago, I posted about a prominent gap in Hamilton, on the corner of Ward and Angelsea streets.

That gap has been vacant for all my years in Excel, but may not remain that way - a new 5 storey contemporary building and piazza, and resource consent has been granted already.

City Gate proposal - cnr Ward and Angelsea streets, Hamilton

I appriciate the above impression of the building - it looks like effort has been put in. Not like the buildings on the surrounding three corners of the intersection. Moreover, the triangular plan allows for vistas of the recently restored remainder of Wintec house (it's ironic that the building was half torn down, and half restored).

This is what the site looks like at present:

Cnr Ward and Angelsea Streets, Hamilton 19 Jan 2011

All going well, construction should start late this year, with completion in late 2012. This would be a good project to show that the Hamilton CBD is still in business, despite the recession and competition from sites outside the CBD.