Plans for a revamped downtown Wanaka are ready for adoption by the Queenstown Lakes District Council after 18 months of development, but some councillors still have reservations.
At the council's strategy committee meeting this week, the Wanaka Town Centre Strategy was passed on for adoption with two minor wording amendments suggested.
However, a few councillors still had queries for the strategy's working party chairman Charlie Grant and senior policy analyst Sue Mavor.
Cr Leigh Overton asked why the northern side of Brownston St was not mentioned in the strategy as a place to park cars.
Ms Mavor said the working party looked at off-street parking and they needed to be careful of causing obstructions if Brownston St became an arterial route.
Cr Lyal Cocks said he had concerns about some of the strategy's recommended actions.
He felt car parking would be just as "visually dominant" along Ardmore St as at present it was on Roys Bay Recreation Reserve.
Committee chairwoman Gillian Macleod said she thought the strategy was silent on large format retail stores.
"Some plans are specific about including or excluding [large format stores] in the town centre. This was absolutely neutral."
Mr Grant said the working party was asked to steer away from the issue.
The party's brief stated members should not re-litigate the proposed Three Parks housing and retail development, as it was the jurisdiction of another working party.
Cr Cocks said the strategy was "too punchy" and was concerned it would raise expectations in the community.
"Some of these things won't happen for years," he said.
Policy and planning general manager Philip Pannett said some of the actions would not happen for 10 years, depending on demand, but that was the point of a strategy.
"We'll be bringing this back to you every year for a review and progress check," he said.
