Auckland’s Downtown Car Park to be replaced with two huge towers, vehicle flyover set for demolition
Friday, 14 February 2025
Precinct Properties has notified its intention to build a new development named Pūmanawa Downtown West.
The development will consist of two huge towers, with retail space and 247 residential apartments.
The project will replace the Downtown Car Park, the sale of which will see Auckland Council pocket $122 million.
Auckland’s Downtown Car Park building is set to be replaced with two huge towers, which will also see a vehicle flyover demolished.
Precinct Properties has applied to demolish the 2000-car park building and replace it with a mixed-use development to be named Pūmanawa Downtown West.
“The project seeks to redefine, connect, and transform the western edge of Tāmaki Makaurau’s city centre and its relationship with the waterfront through the creation of an integrated mixed-use precinct, a gateway to unlock the potential as prescribed in Auckland’s City Centre Masterplan,” the proposal documents read.
Auckland Council is expected to pocket $122 million from the sale of the car park to Precinct Properties at the end of 2025, despite legal action from a group against the sale of the building.
The towers will rise from three “podium” buildings, taking seven years to build, beginning February 2026.
The first tower would consist 56 floors reaching 227 metres high, including 44 levels of offices. The second, 45 storey, 162m tower would include 247 apartments across 34 floors.
Both will also include multiple floors of retail space. The third, standalone podium building would contain a “food marketplace”.
All up, the precinct will cover 120,000m² of ground space.
The precinct would also include a “major” new civic space named Te Urunga Hau (The Urban Room), accessible to the public 24/7, with comprehensive landscaping, commercial tenancies, a stage, seating and “play nooks”.
A basement will contain 540 private car parks for the adjacent M Social Hotel, residents and office workers, and 1165 secure bicycle parking spaces.
Documents state the towers were designed to “add to the visual profile of the city skyline” in collaboration with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
“The slender form, the chamfered edges and the stepped nature between the two towers provide a successful transition in height toward the waterfront and harbour edge.
“The materials aim to create cohesive and elegant palette that draws inspiration from nature and compliment the proposed landscaping.”
The proposal includes the demolition of the Lower Hobson St bridge, a vehicle ramp connecting Quay St to Fanshawe St. The ramp is used by at least three bus services to the North Shore.
The bridge is referred to in the proposal as a “significant visual barrier”, which Auckland Transport had confirmed it was looking to remove anyway.
The public will be able to have their say on the resource consent application from February 18.