{"id":620394,"date":"2026-10-04T14:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/620394\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T14:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:31:10","slug":"classic-developments-30-million-bethlehem-business-park-construction-planned-for-early-2027-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/620394\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Developments\u2019 $30 million Bethlehem Business Park: Construction planned for early 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe carpark has been designed with separate entry and exit to the existing SH2 to manage vehicle flow, and with a secondary site entry and exit off Te Paeroa Rd.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas said Classic Developments bought the land in 2021. Master planning, design and consenting for the business park had been ongoing since 2023.<\/p>\n

Earthworks and civil works would start in early 2027, with buildings expected to be completed for tenants in early to mid 2028.<\/p>\n

Delivery of the initial buildings was planned to be co-ordinated with the completion of the Takitimu North Link, he said. <\/p>\n

Classic Group<\/a> director Peter Cooney said Bethlehem was a prime location.<\/p>\n

Its amenities, retail and hospitality offerings made it attractive.<\/p>\n

Many businesses now operated on the fringe of cities. <\/p>\n

\u201cTauranga\u2019s grown quite substantially. A lot of people prefer to have their offices in an area where it\u2019s not so much a destination point; it\u2019s more of a lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooney said tenants could include, for example, medical-related businesses or real estate offices.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem ward councillor Kevin Schuler welcomed the development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there will be a lot of interest there. Not everyone wants to be in the city centre, and if you look at the broader western Bay and Bethlehem, it\u2019s well-placed for another commercial offering.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Bethlehem had an established population, but there was potential for amalgamation and growth towards \u014cmokoroa. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe [Wairoa] river is the border, but there\u2019s no barrier. We all really share this community, and so I think it\u2019s a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ClassicClassic Developments bought the land in 2021 and has been planning the development since 2023.<\/p>\n

Schuler believed the development could attract a broad range of industries.<\/p>\n

Sports fields had been considered for the council-owned 22ha Parau Farms \u2013 P\u014dteriwhi \u2013 site<\/a> off SH2 nearby.<\/p>\n

With Aspire Health and Sports across the road, Schuler said there could be demand for a high-performance offering or physio at the business park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a range of shop size opportunities there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great shopping centre, and we\u2019re seeing development on both sides of the state highway and a range of commercial options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethlehem Floral Studio has operated opposite the site for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Vicky Ferguson, who has owned the florist for six years, said the development could bring her business more customers.<\/p>\n

The busy State Highway 2 ran through Bethlehem, which she said was \u201cmayhem\u201d at peak hours.<\/p>\n

But she was not concerned about the business park\u2019s potential impact on traffic. <\/p>\n

\u201cI always get out of my parks easy enough, back out and wait for the traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said many nearby retirement villages<\/a> had residents who walked to Bethlehem Town Centre to access its amenities. <\/p>\n

Bethlehem Butchery owner Ben Taylor said his core customer base was retirees. <\/p>\n

He has owned the butchery since 2014, and his father owned it for 29 years.<\/p>\n

He said the business park could attract more people to the area, and smaller businesses could experience \u201ca nice boost from that\u201d.<\/p>\n

He was not concerned about more traffic, as the Takitimu North Link would ease pressure.<\/p>\n

Bijou Johnson<\/a> is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe carpark has been designed with separate entry and exit to the existing SH2 to manage vehicle flow,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[18516,3589,28246,22374,138,4915,1568,40867,2245,5346,2082,1132,111,139,1536,69,8143,26346,379],"class_list":["post-620394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-18516","tag-3589","tag-begin","tag-bethlehem","tag-business","tag-classic","tag-construction","tag-developments","tag-early","tag-expected","tag-for","tag-million","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-next","tag-nz","tag-park","tag-planned","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}