Heart of the City: Over two years on, what's in store for key Dee St building?
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Over two years on, the former Farmers building on Dee St in Invercargill still sits largely empty and unused.
Although The Southland Tribune understands some positive progress is being made to reactivate the building in what would be another plus for that area in inner city Invercargill.
In July 2022, nation-wide retail chain Farmers moved from Dee St to Esk St to join the new Invercargill Central development as its anchor tenant.
It left the double-story 150 Dee St building - owned by the Thompson Property Group - largely empty.
Many ideas and articles have since surfaced as to what could fill one of the larger commercial buildings in Invercargill’s city centre.
Managing director Gaire Thompson at one point floated the idea of turning it into a mall-type complex with various retailers and a food court.
Although that hasn’t eventuated.
In 2022 it was reported that both Chemist Warehouse and Bargain Chemist were eyeing the building a potential site to open up a store in Invercargill.
Nothing to this point has eventuated on that front as well.
In April last Thompson said a potential buyer had shown interest in the building, but no sale has been made.
Some - including Cr Ian Pottinger - pushed for the old Farmers building to be utilised for the new museum in what he said would be a lower cost option than constructing a new building at Queens Park.
In July last year, Thompson emailed Mayor Nobby Clark and senior council staff outlining why he felt the Dee St building would be a good site for a new museum.
Thompson pointed out in the email that 150 Dee St was: “Walking distance from the hotels, has adequate parking, has in excess of 6000m2 of floor space over two floors, has an escalator for access to top floor, plus 2 stairways, and a very large goods lift/passenger lift, has a very large air con system, only has windows at each end better for climate control, has LED lighting, has direct access to an existing café in an adjoining building, has a large roller door and goods loading bay for bringing items in, is already built great, saving in time and potential cost blow outs, is a very prominent building with dual frontage.”
He signed off saying; “If this is of interest, which I believe it should be, please contact me urgently as we are well down the track with several potential tenants which would result in the removal of the escalator.”
However, the council deemed the building wasn’t suitable for the new museum and building on the current site at Queens Park was the preferred option.
Last year Thompson acknowledged the lack of a replacement tenant or tenants for the building had been a “real pain”.
“It eats its head off because you are still paying rates,” Thompson told The Tribune.
“Our original scheme was to leave the escalator in there and have a mall-type thing in there, but there doesn’t seem to be the same amount of interest from the smaller tenants as there is with the bulk retail ones.”
When The Tribune contacted Thompson to check-in on what progress had been made around the largely empty building, he said he wasn’t in a position to make any comment at this point.
Although he hoped to be in a position where an announcement could be made “very soon”.
Meet the Southland Sharks in the Heart of the City…
Want to catch up with the stars of the 2025 Southland Sharks basketball team?
There’s a chance to meet and eat with the Sharks at Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza NZ at Invercargill Central at 3.30pm on Wednesday.
There will be an opportunity to win merch, pizza, and tickets to the Sharks’ first 2025 National Basketball League game.
Dine at Esk Eats at Invercargill Central with options for all taste buds and hunger levels. From grab and go sushi, hunger busting burgers or a slice or two, a warming ramen, curry or classic street food, finishing with something sweet. Esk Eats has you covered.
Absolute no brainer the museum should have been in the old Farmers Building for all of the reasons mentioned in this article. Could someone from council please explain why this has not happened- Is the old site option cheaper for the rate payer? Does the old site option increase the vibrancy of the city and bring cash to the businesses in the inner city?