For five years Port Stephens Council has sat on its hands over the disused Donald Street East car park - one of the very few council-owned assets in the Nelson Bay CBD.
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Now a community-led project is aiming to put the 4000 sqm prime piece of land back on the agenda, promoting the potential for a 'business, education and car park precinct' and provide a much-needed economic boost for the town centre.
The primary driver behind the concept is the Tomaree Business Chamber, with the assistance of Nelson Bay NOW and the input of a Port-based architect commissioned and financed by the Bay business community.
Chamber president Leah Anderson said "on back of the Special Rate Variation knock back", the time was right for the council to act on what was becoming "a major eyesore on the landscape of the Nelson Bay CBD".
The council says it is implementing a number of actions under the Nelson Bay Delivery Program to revitalise the CBD and foreshore and that it would be "addressing a number of issues including car parking, public domain upgrades and encouraging high-quality development".
"We are currently considering recommendations from the Independent Citizens Parking Panel and strategies outlined in the Nelson Bay Traffic and Parking Study," a council spokesperson said..
"There are a number of options to improve parking being considered, which include defining future use of the Donald Street carpark.
"We are planning to share this information with our community once a feasible set of car parking options are known."
Mayor Ryan Palmer said that in the short term council would look to prioritise on-ground car parking and the demolition of the concrete structure.
"I would prefer to wait for the council report before commenting further," he said.
Ms Anderson said the former multi-deck car park had become a dilapidated, underutilised site located on a prime piece of Nelson Bay real estate.
"We believe that creating a business, education and car parking precinct will assist in revitalising the dying Nelson Bay economy," she said.
To fund the project, the chamber has suggested a range of options including the potential sale of council assets; creating a strata development to achieve sales/income from commercial/educator/medical operators; leased parking spaces; using parking contributions; using income generated from Nelson Bay foreshore paid parking fees; private investment; and borrowing.
Ms Anderson said there was also the potential for income from tertiary education providers such as TAFE and university.
Nelson Bay NOW convenor Heath Jones described the carpark site as an "ugly, underutilised asset".
"The opening up of Yacaaba Street has made a huge improvement to the look and feel to this part of town, but it has also drawn attention to just how ugly the existing building is," Mr Jones said.
"The site also represents an opportunity to address the ongoing parking problem in the Nelson Bay CBD and to create a facility that will add life to the town centre, education opportunities for residents, and add a valuable commercial asset to the council's portfolio.
"Additional parking, services, employment and the modern structure will all make a considerable difference to the rest of the town centre, local employment, and the businesses nearby."
Chamber business development manager Peter Clough said there the multi-level site had the potential to become an income earning asset for council.
"What we have are merely concepts generated by the business community and may not reflect what is eventually achieved," he said.
The site has an eight-level building height limit.
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