Future Napier Committee - 01 August 2024 - Open Agenda Item
3
3. Emerson
Street Upgrade:Concept Design Approval
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Type of Report:
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Operational
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Legal Reference:
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N/A
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Document ID:
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1779127
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Reporting Officer/s & Unit:
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Georgina King, Team Leader City Design
and Urban Renewal
Stephanie Kennard, City Activation Lead
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3.1 Purpose of Report
This
report seeks endorsement of the Concept Design for the upgrade of Emerson
Street.
Further, it seeks approval to proceed to
Developed and Detail Design for Stages 1 and 2, the next phase of the design
process. Following completion of Developed and Detailed Design we move
to the resource and building consent process, and ultimately the construction
of Stage 1.
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Officer’s Recommendation
The Future
Napier Committee:
a. Endorse
the Concept Design for the entire length of Emerson Street.
b. Approve
to proceed into Developed and Detailed Design for Stages 1 and 2.
3.2 Background Summary
Emerson Street, bound at one end by Clive / Memorial Squares and by
Marine Parade and Te Matau-a-Māui at the other, is a key part of Napier
CBD’s identity.
The upgrade of
Emerson Street was first identified in the 2017 City Vision Framework as an
important urban renewal initiative for our CBD to improve infrastructural
resilience, provide a more accessible city through universal design, and
enhance Napier’s main retail street overall recognising that it has been
more than thirty years since Emerson Street last received significant
investment.
It was considered important to the success of the project that the
design of Emerson St follow a community-led approach. In November 2023 Council
embarked on extensive pre-design engagement with the community and stakeholders,
seeking feedback on both what Emerson Street is today, acknowledgment of its
heritage significance and how they would like to see our prime retail street
both look and function in the future.
Our core objectives for the upgrade of Emerson Street are to:
· Improve infrastructural resilience by replacing the aged wastewater
pipe (92 years old) and introduce raingardens which will increase stormwater
collection capacity and improve stormwater quality.
· Ensure financial sustainability through efficiencies such as
combining the wastewater network renewal with the streetscape upgrade.
· Improve the safety and accessibility of our city’s main retail
street incorporating operational flexibility.
The
upgrade of Emerson Street aligns with all of Council’s Strategic
Priorities:
A resilient city – creating a safer, more people-friendly space with new paving,
raingardens, enhanced lighting and more seating, so we have a more resilient
central city.
Financially
sustainable Council - replacing underground infrastructure at the end of its life not only
provides cost-savings but also reduces the risks of infrastructure failure for
future generations.
Spaces and
Places for all - improving
the safety and accessibility of Emerson Street for all road users, including
pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.
A great
visitor destination - showcasing and celebrating what sets us apart from other parts of
NZ. We want to attract visitor spend as well as investment
Nurturing authentic relationships
– engaging from the outset with our
community, landowners & businesses seeking their feedback and hearing their
ideas and concerns, allowing us to build authentic relationships.
Community
Engagement
Community-led
design means engaging with key stakeholders and the community at the inception
of the project to help the Design Team understand public perceptions,
functionality issues, it heritage and ideas suggested to revitalise the
area. We began this work in November 2023.
Concept Design
Design work on
the project commenced in January 2024. The Concept Design considers the entire
length of Emerson Street. This was a strategic decision to ensure that a clear vision
for Emerson Street is undertaken regardless of how it is staged, resulting in a
cohesive streetscape that meets Council’s vision.
The design we
are seeking endorsement of is a high-level design concept that integrates data
and feedback received during engagement, and outlines key design options.
Developed and Detailed Design follows on from this and refines the preferred
concept design options into detailed plans, drawings and specifications.
Further stakeholder engagement will take place during the Developed Design
stage and will incorporate a Universal Design Audit as well as a Heritage
Review. Throughout the future design stages the Design Team will also continue
to work in collaboration with the Three Waters Team.
Whilst the
implementation of the streetscape upgrade is to be undertaken in four stages,
the concept design considers the entire length of Emerson St to ensure
continuity in the look and feel of the streetscape, regardless of when it is
constructed.
Having the
design concept established from the outset also allows for cost efficiencies to
be identified, including in areas such as the ordering of paving materials or
lighting, etc.
The Design
Team’s methodology for developing the design concept follows a 4-step
design process – Engage, Explore, Evolve and Effect. Concept Design
involves the first two steps, with Developed and Detailed Design evolving from
steps 3 + 4.
Development of
the concept design entailed two ‘Council Workshops’ at 50% &
75% design completion, as well as two Stakeholder ‘drop-in’
sessions, internal stakeholder meetings and four Steering Group meetings at
these hold-points also.
Key Design
Moves:
1. Improving infrastructural
resilience and sustainability of Emerson Street by:
a. replacing
the aged wastewater network
b. Introducing
raingardens to:
i. Increase
stormwater capacity
ii. Provide
filtration and improve stormwater quality prior to discharge
iii. Provide
shade to reduce ambient temperature and to provide street amenity
2. To ensure financial sustainability by combining the wastewater
network renewal with the streetscape upgrade
The final
design of wastewater network is yet to be determined however we know that
combining the wastewater network renewal with the streetscape upgrade provides
considerable cost savings through:
i. simultaneous
design
ii. contractor procurement,
iii. site
establishment,
iv. site
excavation and
v. re-establishment
of the surface.
The proposed
design of the wastewater pipe in the realigned carriageway helps minimise
disruption to retailers during construction as the pipe is to located
centrally, away from the building frontages. This will also greatly
minimise disruption to stores in future should any works be required on the
pipe i.e. additional connections be requested.
3. Improve
the safety and accessibility of our city’s main retail street
incorporating operational flexibility by:
Creating a safer, more accessible city using Universal
Design principles, ie providing wider footpaths, level
streets, and well-placed amenities for people of all ages and abilities.
Designing the street to provide
"flexible zones" allows areas within the street to be used
differently at various times of the day. When people have positive experiences
in streets and public spaces, they are more likely to stay longer and explore
the surroundings resulting in increased customer spending and higher revenue for
businesses in that location.
Community and Stakeholder engagement
identified a strong desire for Emerson St to have a high level of flexibility
and the ability to be able to change its operation at certain times of the day,
or year, to create a fully pedestrianised environment and enhance safety.
Retractable bollards will make it easier for this to happen.
A Streetscape
Reflective of our Heritage and Culture
A key consideration of the concept
design has been designing a streetscape that complements both the colour
palette and form of our Art Deco heritage architecture. Consideration is given
to the design and placement of street furniture, lighting and street trees to
frame and to highlight the signature architectural features of Napier’s
built environment.
Enhancing the
visibility of mana whenua in our streetscape, which is already evident in many
of the existing Art Deco facades, is another opportunity the upgrade provides. The design seeks to ensure Emerson Street reflects our cultural
heritage whilst continuing to showcase our unique architecture, building on our
unique combination of Art Deco architecture and cultural heritage.
Attached to this paper is the Emerson
Street Upgrade Concept Design which incorporates this narrative.
3.3 Issues
Infrastructural
Network
Due diligence
when planning any street upgrade involves undertaking site investigation work
to assess the condition of underground services prior to completing the
streetscape design. This ensures the project is futureproofed, and that any
necessary infrastructure upgrades are identified and coordinated with the
streetscape renewal.
Site
investigations confirmed that the 92-year-old earthenware wastewater network in
Emerson Street requires full replacement. The existing wastewater lines run
under the footpaths, and for a substantial portion of the project run down both
sides of Emerson Street. Council’s 3-Waters Team have tagged $1.2 million
in the 3-Year Plan for the replacement of the wastewater network on Emerson
Street. Upon completion of further detailed pipe investigation, the design of
the new wastewater will commence.
Whilst the
wastewater pipe replacement will be a separate contract to the Emerson Street
Upgrade Concept Design, the design and implementation of this infrastructure
will be dovetailed into the construction phase of the Emerson Street Project.
Combining the wastewater network renewal with the streetscape upgrade provides
huge costs savings for both projects, reducing the time and cost associated
with undertaking the excavation and relaying of paving twice, and of equal
importance, reducing the total level of disruption.
Value
Management
Managing cost
escalation remains a challenge for any major capital project. For this reason,
a Quantity Surveyor has been engaged by Council to be actively involved in all
of the design stages, to take part in design meetings and to help inform the
process as well as managing costings throughout the stage of design.
Quick
Wins
Extensive
public pre-engagement identified a number of operational “quick
wins” that Council, in it’s regulatory space, could turn it’s
attention to straight away that are not reliant on the streetscape upgrade to
address. Early focus on these matters indicates to both the public and
businesses that Council have listened and working towards creating good
behavioural change.
Feedback was
strongly in favour of reducing the visual clutter, predominantly created
through wheelie bins and cardboard recycling. In addition, management of the
parking within the loading zones on Emerson Street was also identified.
These matters
generally fall within the regulatory and compliance space. With bins and
recycling, the levers we have to pull sit within two separate bylaws –
Public Places and Solid Waste. Work has commenced to look at both of these
bylaws to not only ensure they complement each other, but that they also
include the correct measures to enable Council to enforce compliance if and
when required i.e. infringements.
Bylaw changes
can take some time. It is estimated that the outdated Solid Waste Bylaw will
need approximately 18 months to be completed. While these reviews are
underway, focus will also be on using this time to identify proactive measures
that will give businesses time to act themselves.
3.4 Significance
and Engagement
This project is
of high interest to a number of groups, including:
· Napier City
Business Association and its members
· Heritage
Hawkes Bay
· current and
future potential retailers and property owners in the CBD
· groups and
individuals who actively provided input into the project as part of the
pre-engagement in mid-late 2023.
A Steering Group made up of external
stakeholders and elected members was also formed in the pre-engagement
phase. This group of fourteen comprises representatives from NCBI
(Business Association) retailers, the Art Deco Trust, developers, landlords,
hospitality providers, real estate agents and two elected members. The
Steering Group meets directly with the design team to provide feedback at each
of the milestone stages, and will continue to be involved in all stages of the
project.
Community consultation, engagement and
measurement undertaken involved the following:
· Pop-Up shop in
Emerson Street (> 200 visitors)
· Retailer survey
provided online and in-person
· Online Community
Survey (593 responses)
· Workshops
(on-site) – 45 attendees
· Intercept
Interviews – 40 in person interviews
· Camera Monitoring
– four sites along the length of Emerson St for 1 week
· Testing through
activation over 1 week
The feedback
received from this community engagement has been used to inform the concept
design and will continue to guide all future design stages.
The project is
also of interest to our wider community.
Officers will
provide a detailed Engagement Plan following endorsement by Council of the
Concept Design. The engagement period will run from early August 2024 through
to mid-2025.
3.5 Implications
Financial
On 28th July 2022, the Future Napier Committee resolved resolved to
put $1.65 million from the Better Off Fund towards the development of a concept
plan for the full length of Emerson Street and construction of Stage 1 (the
section of road between Clive and Memorial Squares).
On 27 June 2024 Council adopted the 3-Yr Plan which set aside
$10.2 million for the upgrade of Emerson St. This upgrade will be dovetailed
into the complete replacement of the wastewater pipe on Emerson St, and
the integration of rain gardens into the streetscape. The implementation of the
Emerson Street upgrade is to be staged over four years, a manageable yet
efficient timeframe ensuring the least disruption to our Retailers and
businesses.
The first
phase of design and construction (Stage 1) is indicated in pink and proposed to
commence construction in 2024/25. Further stages of Emerson Street are to be
phased accordingly:
2024/25:
Construction of the Zip (Section of Emerson St between Clive and Memorial
Squares)
2025/26:
Emerson St West
2026/27:
Emerson St East plus Market
2027/28:
Marine Parade / Piazza
Social & Policy
The outcomes
of the Concept Design align with a number of existing Council strategies and
plans, including the Design Brief, the City Vision Framework, Council’s
Vision and Strategic Priorities, Disability Strategy, Positive Ageing Strategy,
and the Youth Strategy.
A
Community-led design approach has been employed from the outset, and the Design
Team have been working with stakeholders throughout to support the success of
the design process.
In addition,
the cultural narrative gifted to the Project is going to Ngā
Mānukanuka o te Iwi for endorsement on 26th July.
Continued
stakeholder engagement will take place throughout the developed design stage to
incorporate a Universal Design Review and Heritage Assessments.
Risk
The diagram
below outlines project structure for this work. The roles and responsibilities
of each group are defined within the Project Business Case and Project Plan,
which is managed by the Team Leader of City Design & Urban Renewal.
Day to day
decisions and risk mitigation is managed by the Project Coordinator within the
Project Control Group, with this group providing the first point of escalation.
The next escalation point is the Project Sponsor/ Senior Responsible officer,
who in this instance is the Director of Infrastructure. Their primary
responsibility is to provide overall strategic direction and support, aligning
the project's objectives with the organisation's goals. They will take a
strategic view of fiscal and strategic risk.
In addition to
the external stakeholders and Steering Group, the NCC Specialist Support Group
is made up of internal representatives from Transportation, Community
Strategies, Marketing & Comms, Napier Assist, Three Waters, Parks &
Reserves, Economic Development and Te Waka Rangapū.
Elected
Members give final approval. In this project this is the endorsement of a
formal design stage and approval to move to the next stage.
The programme
also has a Quantity Surveyor in place for project assurance and value
management. They are responsible for managing quality aspects and costs of the
project within the Developed / Detailed Design phase, and during construction
3.6 Options
The options available to Council
are as follows:
a. Endorse
the Concept Design for the Emerson Street Upgrade and approve to proceed into
Developed and Detailed Design for Stages 1 & 2. That the project team
continues to work across council to provide cost efficiencies and
infrastructure resilience
b. Recommend
changes to the Concept Design before moving to the Developed and Detailed
Design for Stages 1 & 2, or
c. Not
endorse the Concept Design
3.7 Development
of Preferred Option
Following the
endorsement of the Concept Design for Emerson Street and obtaining approval to
proceed into the next stages of design, the Design Team will immediately move
to Developed Design for Stages 1 & 2.
The next phase
of design entails further refinement of key design features to support the
three key objectives of:
1. Improve
Infrastructural resilience
2. To ensure financial sustainability by combining the wastewater
network renewal with the streetscape upgrade
3. improve
the safety and accessibility of our city’s main retail street.
The project
team will continue to engage with stakeholders such the Art Deco Trust, Mana
Whenua, Heritage Hawkes Bay, retailers and the wider community throughout all
future phases of the design, as per our engagement plan.
Officers will
continue to provide regular updates to Elected Members such as the Quarterly
Project Update. Should any risks escalate to a position that is outside
of Councils tolerance, for example, if it becomes apparent that cost
escalations are expected beyond the available contingency, the Project Sponsor
or Team Leader City Design & Urban Renewal will report these escalations to
any relevant committees, outside of the quarterly update cycle.
3.8 Attachments
1 Emerson
Street Upgrade Concept Design Package (Under
separate cover 1)
