St Heliers developer hits back
The owner of a contentious Auckland seaside property dubbed "the Maheke Monster" is speaking out to dispel rumours no one will tenant it.
Developer Robin Sheffield has been criticised by local residents for building a three-storey property in Auckland¹s Tamaki Drive at St Heliers.
The Save Our St Heliers association (SOS) opposed the beachfront complex and warned of a boycott when it opened.
Mr Sheffield told NBR ONLINE residents of the seaside community had yelled at him on the street in disgust at the building.
"There has been a lot of misinformation. People have been making assumptions of what may or may not have happened," he says.
SOS chair Sally Hughes told NBR ONLINE it is sad the building has been empty for almost a year.
"The fact the Sheffield building has been empty for so long is a salutary lesson for developers that you offend your local community at your peril."
However, the owner insists there are tenants. The lower floor has had Westpac bank as a tenant since last year and a bank spokesman says there has not been a drop-off in clientele.
The developer confirmed two out of four second-level office spaces had been leased.
The three apartments on the top floor were also sold, with Mr Sheffield living in one of them.
Café to move in
Mr Sheffield confirmed a café owned by Scott Brown and Jackie Grant will open before the end of the year.
Mr Brown, who signed a 12-year lease on the building and confirms he has been paying rent since February, says he considered subleasing his space, mainly due to the "economic environment".
He hopes the café will be neighbourhood driven and laughed off suggestions residents might boycott it.
"Word on the street is that while before it was built there was a lot of controversy, but now that its is built it has died down."
Mr Brown says he is no stranger to community controversy, as there was also opposition when he opened his Takapuna beach café four years ago.
Council blamed
Mr Sheffield says the council is to blame as it changed height allowances, which increased the rates on the site.
"The redevelopment of land in St Heliers is caused mainly by the council increasing the rates because they increased height allowances for those sites."
Mr Sheffield says he built up to 12.5m, so rents could cover the cost.
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Comments and questions18
Damn eye sore, and no matter what coffee shop goes in the ground floor I'm not using it, there are good alternatives, and the same for Westpac who could always take over the National branch when it closes.
The so called need to recoup rent to cover costs is just the developers way of saying "I paid too much for the land and buildings but thankfully had enough clout to get the district plan changed to make up for my stupidity".
Saint Heliers is a wonderful suburb, but the two concert additions have had a significant negative influence. All for the sake of two property developers wanting a return, that has been at the expense of many who had their outlook over the harbor destroyed along with the capital loss on their property value. A simple wealth transfer from many to two.
Why didn't you grow some balls and develop it to your own liking then.
Probably a wise choice...after all caffeine and old age medication not a good mix.
Uppity white geratric retirees, who model themselves on genteel Deep South southerners, who own plantations and negro slaves. That's the makeup of the St Heliers residents.
"Damn eye sore, "
Have you tried Optrix?
Yeah. Because the majority of saint helliers locals are at the bottom of the wealth pyramid.....
There's nothing wrong with this builidng at all! If these tired old NIMBY's wish to live in a bueatiful 'village' move to Cambridge or Havelock North - not the biggest city in the country!!!!
It only takes a trip to Devonport to see how St Heliers could have evolved. It is now on its way to becoming yet another ugly suburban "CBD".
Devonport is dying on its feet as the young folk flee to more exciting places. Council stuffed up the only road in and out pandering to some lycra lout poseurs and none of its heritage can survive without ratepayer subsidy. Your kind of place?
Lol at St. Heliers Geriatric crowd. The old building it replaced was an eyesore! Look forward to grabbing coffees there on the way to work! Good on the developer.
To a St Heliers outsider this is all sounding a bit silly. The building is there now, so one would hope that anyone truly community minded would want to make the most of it? Bitching and moaning after the event - even if it is ugly - is simply vindictive and looks destructive to the best interests of the community. Let's face it, Auckland is dominated by ugly , out of context, architecture. It seems a bit arbitrary to just single out this one.
Moaning old retirees from St Heliers, what's new? Sure, the building may not be an architectural marvel but all these people can do is complain and moan about anything and everything. The same people will complain about any development that occurs in central Auckland because they want Auckland to stay the way it was in the 70's. A time capsule. The Quay Street redevelopment is a perfect example. These people are opposed to it. Why? That's what they do best. Complain and moan.
St Helliers should market itself as Auckland's UGLY suburb. The prison like structure as you enter it from the waterfront and the dreary monolithic monstrosity at the eastern end qualify it as such.Not a place worth a visit.
I so miss the front yards with the carved tyre painted white swan and where can you buy the big butterfly that was always so popular alongside the striped canvas awnings. Pebble gardens and maybe a wall from collected bottles and paua shell. I'm happy so long as that b*stard neighbour next door dosn't try to paint his door red when I know its suppossed to be green.
I live in St Heliers and can't wait to see a nice cafe open in what is a great location on the waterfront.
It is a fantastic looking Development .... and about time St Heliers achieved good quality architecture such as what has been built. When you come around the corner from Kohi it really shows up the other geriatric developments.
I suppose the end will come when parking metres are proposed for St Heliers.
Well i suspect to the responses above in support of the building are probably from the developer. Rather nasty.
Not all folks who live in St Heliers are retired or complainers. There are many families and everyday working people in St. Heliers.
Everyone should be able to voice an opinion, so lets stick to the issue and not play the person or make ageist remarks.
To say the building is an eyesore is an understatement - it is an oversized enclosed concrete space without any connection or sympathy with local environs. What could have been a great development opportunity ended up a visual and strategic error.
While i wish Jackie and her husband well, as they run a number of good cafe businesses, they too must be disapointed with the building and the divisive reaction it has caused.
Moving forward - lets hope that Auckland Council will be smarter in the future and projects like this never see the light of day.