One of Auckland's most infamous streets is on the cusp of being gentrified.

Mention Karangahape Road - K-Road for short - and various images come to mind. Artists and boutiques for sure. But also strip clubs, police cars and general edginess.

Now, developers and urban planners believe the bohemian street is heading for a makeover and may yet be the toast of the town.

One reason is location.

Within minutes of the central business district, the grungy, colourful K-Road links the top of Queen St with Grafton Bridge at one end and Ponsonby at the other. It overlooks the harbour and boasts some of Auckland's best buildings, including the George Court department store, the Pitt St Methodist Church, and the Mercury Theatre.

Over the decades, however, the road slipped into decline and it became better known for some of the country's first nightclubs.

By the 80s and 90s, the road was an eclectic mishmash. Rowdy clubs, restaurants and fruit and vege stores rubbed shoulders with arty cafes, galleries and the street's first round of apartment buildings.

Today, K-Road is changing again. Four upmarket apartment buildings under construction in the area will bring hundreds of well-heeled city dwellers to the area, and observers believe retailers and service providers are likely to follow suit.

"We've been on K-Road for 17 years," says apartment real estate specialist Martin Dunn of City Sales, "and it's sort of disappointed me that we haven't been able to change the culture in all of that time. But it's going to change dramatically over the next year."

The winds of change include the closure of a pub for redevelopment into a backpackers hostel, a bistro and a studio apartment complex by Ponsonby Central developer Andy Davies.

There is also the "strong, sophisticated population" that Dunn expects from three apartment buildings underway near Freemans Bay.

One of them is Urba, a 143-apartment block by Conrad properties in Howe St. It is sold out and due for completion early next year.

Conrad director Ben Dearlove agrees the area is appealing to a wider range of people now.

"Geographically it's a fantastic location. You walk straight across Pitt St there and you're in the city . . . You've got the school - Auckland Girls - across the road.

"But a lot of our purchasers are actually older than you'd think. There's quite a few there who might have a house on Waiheke. They may still have another five years left at work but they want to spend four nights over here, or even downsize and live here permanently."

Barbara Holloway, chief executive of the Karangahape Road Business Association, says local businesses want the area to intensify, even though it might cost the area some of its colour.

"We want high-density living, we want more road dwellers. It gives you more shoppers, more safety, and we're seeing a surge of trendy bars and clothing designers coming in."

However, she says the locals still want to support the arts and the diversity the street is renowned for.

If the association's committee is any guide, K-Road hasn't lost its diversity yet.

Members include the financial director of a top hotel, a street artist, an edgy fashion designer, a digital marketer and visa agency manager.

At the eastern end of K-Road is Summit on Symonds, a high-end 45-apartment conversion due for completion in May.

"There's not a lot of residential development in that part of town," says Grey Barclay, a director of development firm Kervus Property.

"But it's a pretty vibrant and busy part of town, when you think that is right in the middle of the university precinct and the new Auckland campus on the Lion Breweries site down the hill in Newmarket is just a short walk away.

"As housing pressures come to bear and as Auckland's population is growing, I certainly think that around those areas, there will be a lot more apartment development."

And that's just fine by Auckland Council's design champion, Ludo Campbell-Reid, who says K-Road is "one of the iconic streets of Auckland" and, in a way, is just returning to its roots.

In the mid-20th century, it was one of the city's main destinations, full of department stores, churches, wealthy benefactors, and schools.

It was "a really broad demographic," he says.

But in the late 1950s, the road's tram lines were lifted, and a motorway junction was put in, erasing 45,000 homes and severing the road from the community that supported it.

Now light rail is being proposed for the city, running along Queen St and K-Rd, reconnecting them with the harbour.

Plans for the city rail link would also dramatically change the demographic of the area.

"Some people will be priced out, others will stay.

"I'm eager to see the place change, but preserve its attitude and its swagger.

"But I think K-Road does feel to me somewhat segregated from the city centre, and I think the LRT, light rail transit, cycling, walking and the rail link will really make K-Road a fantastic place."

When that is resolved, Campbell-Reid believes a wider range of people including families will likely take a fresh look at the area.

After all, the nearby schools are good, the accommodation is improving, and its proximity is a winner. And those who might worry K-Road might become too intensive need not fear, he adds.

"The two things are not mutually exclusive."