The figure is the second highest recorded, the highest being in the 2002-03 year, when 985 were received.
The figure has outstripped the numbers the plan received during the acrimonious debate over the Forsyth Barr Stadium.
At its height in 2009, 800 submissions were received, 500 of which were stadium related, with 240 people wanting to speak at the hearing.
The number is also a turnaround from last week, when just 89 submissions had arrived four days before the submission period closed, with the final turnout looking low.
Council policy analyst Jane Nevill said 400 pro forma submissions, which had obviously been distributed for people to sign, had pushed the number up.
Those called for the permanent closure to vehicles of John Wilson Ocean Dr between bollards installed last year and Lawyers Head.
Along with traffic management and angle parking, the idea would give Dunedin "its first and only safe scenic promenade", the submissions said.
Councillors earlier this year confirmed plans for a $487,519 redevelopment of the road, subject to the annual plan hearings.
The hearings have been set for three days from May 4, as the Dunedin City Council works to set its budget for the next financial year.
Ms Nevill said John Wilson Ocean Dr was "absolutely, without a doubt" the major issue raised by submitters, although getting rid of shark nets at city beaches, and cycleways and cycling generally, were also issues attracting a lot of interest.
She said details were not yet available due to the volume of submissions, but about 150 people wanted to speak at the hearings.
More detailed figures would be available on Friday.
