Today is the last day Tauranga City residents can have their say on proposed changes to the Operative Tauranga City Plan, with submissions closing at 5pm.

There are two plan changes in discussion, relating to the City Centre Zone and the City Living Zone.

A single storey property in Selwyn Street could be developed into a multi-storey building if proposed changes to the Operative Tauranga City Plan go ahead.

Alterations to the City Centre Zone aim to change the densities for residential and visitor accommodation in the CBD, which will aid Tauranga City Council's plans for a university campus and on-going push for a central city hotel.

Under the current city plan, residential activities and visitor accommodation within the City Centre Zone are subject to the same density restrictions applying to other commercial centres. These do not provide for the development of residential activities including shared accommodation (such as student hostels or visitor accommodation) at the intensities that would be expected if such plans were to go ahead.

It also does not take into account the potential use of the multi-storey buildings that are provided for in the City Centre Zone.

The other main change relates to the City Living Zone – permitting developers to rebuild multi-storey apartments on current residential land within the City Living Zone – applying to residential areas from McLean to Brown Streets, Selwyn Street, and south of the CBD to 8^th Avenue.

It is proposed to provide for limited suburban residential infill development on existing vacant and partially vacant sites and clarify the subdivision provisions applying to these new opportunities and to medium density developments.

It means the old housing in the zone will be able to be demolished to make way for the development of medium density, multi-level housing and some mixed use in the established residential areas around the city centre.

The current city plan does not allow ‘classic infill' development options for landowners.

Other proposed plan changes include: Plan Change 1 - Infrastructure Performance Standards; Plan Change 2 - Wairakei Urban Growth Area; Plan Change 3 – Tauriko Business Estate; Plan Change 4 – Residential and Visitor Accommodation Density within the City Centre Zone; Plan Change 5 – Urban Growth Areas Earthworks ; Plan Change 6 – Definitions, Demolition of Buildings/Structures and Clarification of Building and Business Activity Places of Assembly; Plan Change 7 – City Living Zone; Plan Change 8 – Undergrounding of Electric Lines; Plan Change 11 – Earthworks.