By Samantha Motion,
A Mitre 10 MEGA, BP service station, medical centre and big box retail shops are among a swag of new commercial development projects planned for ever-expanding Pāpāmoa.
Together, they are expected to create more than 200 jobs.
BP Oil has been granted resource consents to build a BP Connect service station and truck stop on Bruce Rd, off the Tauranga Eastern Link/State Highway 2.
A spokesman for BP said earthworks had started but an opening date had yet to be set. New sites usually generated about 20 new local jobs.
The station would also include a car wash and a bevvy of edible temptations for commuters, including a convenience shop, Wild Bean Cafe and selection of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Häagen-Dazs ice cream and Wishbone ready meals.
BP had been granted a land-use resource consent by Tauranga City Council and, from Bay of Plenty Regional Council, resource consent for earthworks and temporary discharge.
Just off the highway, meanwhile, Mitre 10 was in the early planning stages for a Mitre 10 MEGA store and a medical facility at 142 Domain Rd.
The hardware and building supplied company bought the 14-hectare section of former farmland opposite the Waipuna Hospice Shop last year.
Chief property officer Grant Fraser said the company was in the process of applying for resource consents.