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  #61  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2004, 1:09 AM
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Construction for Moana Pacific to begin this fall

With both towers nearly sold out, Moana Pacific plans to begin construction of its luxury condominium project in September.


Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company Inc. has been selected by KC Rainbow Development LLC as the general contractor.

"We are proud to be working with Hawaii Dredging," said Fred Chan, general manager of KC Rainbow. "They bring a wealth of experience to a project of our size."

Two oval-shaped towers offering 706 units are planned for a six-acre site at Kapiolani Boulevard and Piikoi Street.

Prospective buyers can register for an owner-occupant lottery for the East Tower until 6 p.m. Saturday, with a $3,000 mandatory deposit. The lottery will be held Tuesday, June 22.

Only two penthouses are left in the West Tower. Due to strong sales, KC Rainbow will begin construction on the West Tower first.

"The strength of the demand in the market is very pleasantly surprising for us," said project manager Allen Leong. "The demand is so strong we could move up the start date on construction of the second tower."

Prices for fee-simple one-bedroom units start at about $350,000, while two-bedroom units range from $450,000 to $580,000.

Three-bedroom condos range in price from about $600,000 to $800,000. Units can be combined for $1.5 million and above.

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties is handling sales.

The contemporary-style condos feature floor-length glass windows and a community putting green, tennis courts and jogging track.

The project is among four high-rise condominiums planned in Kakaako.

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  #62  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2004, 10:56 AM
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Aloha Tower proposal reshaped



A Dallas developer planning a roughly $300 million remake of state property around Aloha Tower wants to sell condominiums above what may be ceded lands and build a downtown bypass tunnel under Nimitz Highway to make the project more feasible.



Ken Hughes of UC Urban also proposed sharing costs and profits with the state, and rebuilding the Pier 10 cruise ship terminal as part of project revisions presented yesterday to the state Aloha Tower Development Corp. board.

The changes create new hurdles for the ambitious plan, which the state agency has pursued with Hughes since requesting proposals in late 2002 and choosing to work with the experienced developer in February 2003.

Hughes' core concept is a residential loft community at Honolulu Harbor connected with a downtown streetcar system and ferry terminal.

The project, called Pacific Quay, has evolved over the last year with the addition of the 2-mile streetcar system, elimination of hotel and office high-rises, and an increase in the number of residential lofts to 550 from 250.

Other elements in the plan include 1,400 parking spaces, removing the parking lot from Irwin Park and constructing a larger park on the site of Hawaiian Electric Co.'s power plant, which would have to be relocated and is viewed as the project's biggest potential "fatal flaw."

Despite the obstacles, Hughes and agency board members have been optimistic. And though yesterday's meeting raised more questions and challenges, there still was optimism that Hughes can succeed where others have failed in redeveloping the area.

"Everything that Ken has presented is accomplishable," said agency acting executive director Dan Orodenker.

Said Hughes: "I'm very comfortable. We're ready to push this thing to completion."

Among the several new twists Hughes shared, the most critical related to the project's residential component.

Previously, Hughes planned to lease the land at Piers 5 and 6, and build the rental loft apartments. Yesterday he said a more detailed financial analysis showed rentals could not work economically, and that he needs to sell the lofts as fee-simple condos.

For that to happen, the state agency would need legislative approval to sell land. There is also a question whether the Pier 5 and 6 area is ceded land, which would complicate the sale proposal.

Ceded lands are former Hawaiian Kingdom lands ceded to the United States on annexation and back to Hawai'i upon statehood. Native Hawaiians are supposed to receive benefits from use of such property.

Hughes' Honolulu attorney Jim Stubenberg said title records showed Piers 5 and 6 are not on ceded land, though some agency board members questioned the conclusion.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs information officer Manu Boyd said he needed to do more research to find whether OHA considers Piers 5 and 6 ceded land, but said in general that state harbors, ports and submerged lands are ceded.

Orodenker said the agency has asked the Department of Land & Natural Resources for a determination but has not received a response.

Stubenberg floated a possible option he described as a "lollipop condo" where four floors of parking and maybe some retail on Piers 5 and 6 would be owned by the state. Condos on higher floors would be sold fee simple and include common elements excluding the ground except for area taken up by an elevator shaft, which represents the lollipop stick.

Another plan change would add four new highway lanes under Nimitz Highway between Fort Street and the federal court building to reduce 80 percent of 'ewa-diamondhead traffic on the surface lanes that would remain.

Hughes said the underpass construction would create little disruption to traffic and would result in a more pedestrian-friendly waterfront.

"I really don't see a problem with that," said agency board member and Transportation Department director Rod Haraga, who added that federal money might be available for the work.

The last major project change would make the state a joint-venture partner. Under Hughes' proposal, the state would own and operate the public parking and streetcar system, generating what Hughes said was a conservatively projected $2.7 million annual profit.

The state also would earn 8 percent of condo sale proceeds that Hughes conservatively estimated would be $14 million, or 50 percent more than the property is worth today.

Hughes proposed he and the agency form a limited liability company, which the agency would need legislative approval to join because limited liability companies are fairly new corporate structures not addressed in agency rules that allow partnering with private companies.

To finance the project, Hughes is asking the state to issue $146 million in general obligation bonds as an investment in public benefits of the project. The balance would be financed through private debt and other sources.

Hughes estimates that the project would create about 3,000 jobs and would generate $600 million in economic benefits for the state over a 10-year period.

The state has already spent $210,000 and expects to spend another $83,000 as its share of less than half of project study costs under an agreement with Hughes that expires at the end of next month.

The next goal for Hughes is to sign a memorandum of understanding with the state and Hawaiian Electric agreeing to cooperate. "It's just a cooperative effort to see what's possible, recognizing that the state has a need to redevelop the waterfront area and Hawaiian Electric has a need to keep the lights on," he said.

Assuming the power plant agreement is reached, Hughes said he will negotiate a formal development partnership with the state, start lobbying the legislature in mid-August and with hope be able to sell bonds by March 2004.

If all goes well, construction could begin in about two years at the earliest and take two years to complete, though the park could take up to six years because of the need to relocate the power plant.

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  #63  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2004, 11:30 PM
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Growth Spurt

Hawaii’s hospitals are building big time


Ten years ago, Wahiawa General Hospital was at a crossroads. While it was state-of-the-art when it opened in 1944, the building had not changed much in 50 years. Neither had the hospital attracted patients from the growing nearby Mililani community. Knowing that health-care trends increasingly favored outpatient care, the hospital association proposed a radical solution: the Pacific Health Center, a 210-acre medical mall with a core hospital, surrounded by separate buildings ranging from specialty clinics to centers for diagnostics, office buildings and sports fitness facilities.

While not all hospitals have pursued such a radical tack, aging facilities, coupled with new technologies, availability of financing and increased patient demands have converged to fuel widespread construction. As of mid-May, Hawaii's major hospitals reported construction projects totaling almost $750 million in the pipeline, from parking-lot expansions to new hospital buildings. The $404 million Pacific Health Center-a three-phase, 10-year project scheduled to start next year-comprises the majority of that amount, followed by the $200-million Queen Emma Tower expansion at the Queen's Medical Center. Leslie Morse, project manager for clinical program planning, says Queen's was faced with the same challenges as Wahiawa General: "The last major construction for patient care was in 1985. Some of our facilities have been up since 1922. So it's an aging campus, and we need to keep up with patient demand as well as space requirements."

SPREADING OUT: Kaiser Permanente’s 87,000-square-foot Waipio Clinic, scheduled to open in Fall 2004, is being built to accommodate a rapidly growing Leeward Oahu population.


In addition to these large projects, Kaiser Permanente has a total of $42 million budgeted for two clinics under construction, and Hawaii Pacific Health has several, relatively smaller jobs comprising a total of $40 million across its four hospitals. Hawaii is not alone. A survey by the Healthcare Financial Management Association and GE Healthcare Financial Services reported that 75 percent of U.S. hospitals say they plan to boost capital investment, raising capital spending by 14 percent annually over five years.

One reason is population growth. From 1990 to 2000, Oahu's population grew by 5 percent, but communities such as Waialua grew by 22 percent, and Ewa by 18 percent. That rate is projected to increase statewide, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Between 2000 and 2015, the state's population is projected to increase by 11 percent, with Oahu projections at 9 percent, and the Neighbor Islands at 16 percent.

MODULAR MEDICINE: Plans for the $404 million Pacific Health Center medical mall in Waipio include a 72,900-square foot sports medicine and fitness center combining exercise facilities with physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation centers, health education and physician offices. Courtesy of Pacific Health Community, INC.
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  #64  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2004, 11:36 PM
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La'ie (Honolulu suburb) to get $30M hotel

A property management company affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to build a 200-room hotel in La'ie, the first hotel of its size along the Windward coast.



Hawaii Reserves, Inc. expects to begin development of the roughly $30 million hotel near the Polynesian Cultural Center in late 2005, with completion of the initial phase planned by early 2007.

Catering to North Shore and area visitors, the hotel would replace the 48-room Laie Inn, said Eric Marler, Hawaii Reserves executive vice president and chief financial officer.

O'ahu has not had a new hotel built since the Kalia Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village was finished in 2001. The free-standing JW Marriott Ihilani Resort Spa & Golf Club at Ko Olina was completed in 1993.

Local hoteliers have said that financing new hotels in today's market make them less profitable than a new time-share building or resort condominium building.

But, Marler said, "the occupancy numbers have become much stronger in the recent months here on O'ahu, and we feel that for the mid-market type product that we're talking about that there will be adequate demand to support our investment."

As a "general rule," Marler said, Hawaii Reserves does not partner with outside investors and will finance the hotel construction internally.

The eight-acre site is zoned for hotel use. Four separate three-story buildings are envisioned. The hotel will have a banquet facility, a restaurant, swimming pools and a small North Shore visitor orientation center.

The company has begun applying for city building permits and hopes to finish the process within a year. Construction would then begin.

Until construction starts, the Laie Inn would remain open.

In the first phase, 130 rooms would be built. If the initial phase performs well, 70 more rooms would be added in the next two years.

"We feel that the North Shore has a lot to offer visitors as an alternative, perhaps, or in addition to their experience at Waikiki," Marler said. "A family might want to spend some time in Waikiki and then might also want to come out and have a multi-day experience on the North Shore."

Hotel rates would be similar to that charged by a family-friendly property like a Residence Inn, Marler said. Stays at the new hotel would be less expensive than the higher-end Turtle Bay Resort, which attracts many golfers and business travelers.

Marler said he does not expect the new hotel to compete with Turtle Bay and already has discussed his company's plans with Turtle Bay executives.

Hawaii Reserves is targeting tourists as well as administrative officials meeting at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, parents visiting university students, athletic teams, and participants in university continuing education programs.

The hotel would be promoted along with the church-owned Polynesian Cultural Center.

Hawaii Reserves hopes the new hotel will attract visitors who want to spend a few days visiting the cultural center and experience world-class surfing, scuba diving, and hiking.

"A lot of activities that you might consider 'outer island' activities are available to people on the North Shore," Marler said.

News of the new hotel was welcomed by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce's interim executive director, Antya Miller.

"We're all trying to get people to make this their destination and stay out here because we feel that a lot of people just drive around the island and they don't know what they can do out here," Miller said.

The hotel also would provide management training for BYU-Hawaii's travel and tourism education students.

While new hotel openings on O'ahu have been rare in recent years, a major project is in the works. Outrigger Enterprises Inc. is planning a $350 million Waikiki hotel redevelopment to include time-share, resort condominiums and a new hotel that could be a mix of residential condos, hotel condos, hotel units and possibly time-share units.

The retail and entertainment portion of the Outrigger project is planned for completion in mid-2007. At Ko Olina, plans are also under way to build a combination 250-room hotel and 150-room condominium managed by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.

Others:

New law to ease housing 'crisis'

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed into law a bill aimed at helping fill the need for an estimated 30,000 more affordable housing units — including 17,000 rentals — in the next four years.

Senate Bill 2926 increases the bond authorization amount under the Hula Mae Multi-Family Housing Program from $200 million to $300 million to spur the development and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing projects.

Lingle signed the measure at the site of a planned affordable rental housing project for seniors in Iwilei. The 155-unit Senior Residence at Iwilei is intended to help the same target audience as the new law.

New Life in Kaka'ako (Midtown) - A Future Life Sciences Community



Kamehameha Schools is planning to kick-start a science-based development of its Kakaako land that could provide a shot in the arm to the urban district.

The plans represent a new Kakaako strategy for the state's largest private landowner, which owns some of the most strategic parcels in the area but has been criticized for failing to provide leadership on revitalizing the gritty neighborhood of bars, warehouses and car dealerships.

Officials with the charitable trust say it is their "fiduciary responsibility" to respond to the presence of the University of Hawaii's nearly completed John A. Burns Medical School and associated facilities, which were built in the district partly to serve as a nucleus around which Hawaii's young biosciences sector could coalesce.

"We thought it was an opportune time to look at our holdings in the area and we're committed now to being a major player in life sciences there," said Bob Oda, project manager with the estate's commercial real estate division.

No firm development deals are in the pipeline yet, but the $6 billion estate is applying for a special federal designation that would allow it to offer tax breaks to developers and other investors.

It also has brought together a steering committee of key financial, scientific and development players in the state and plans soon to announce a pair of "catalyst" development projects to kick things off.

It's about time, said Bev Harbin, a member of the Kakaako Improvement Association and frequent critic of the area's landowners.

"I used to have to hit them over the head and say 'do something!'" Harbin said. "But for the first time, I'm rather impressed with what the estate is doing. They're starting to walk the walk."

The estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, whose lands provide the income that funds the education of Hawaiian children, owns 52 acres in the heart of the 700-acre district, leased to a range of owners. Its holdings are less extensive than those of the state government and General Growth Properties, which owns Ala Moana and the various Victoria Ward retail properties. But Kamehameha Schools' lands are in the heart of Kakaako, spanning the mauka and makai sides of Ala Moana Boulevard.

These include parcels directly adjacent to the medical school. Now home to car dealerships and aging commercial low-rises, the trust hopes to lease these lands to developers and other investors that will build life-science research facilities and supporting commercial and residential developments.

The trust is putting together an application to have its area holdings designated a Community Development Entity under urban renewal legislation passed by Congress in 2000. This would allow investors to purchase equity in the entity and claim tax breaks of up to 39 percent on their investments.

The estate hopes the incentives, called the New Market Tax Credits, could reach $100 million and help to defray the high cost of building research-oriented space.

Ordinary office space generally costs around $300 a square foot to build. But Dr. Ed Cadman, the dean of the medical school an advocate of a life-sciences community centered around the school, says research facilities can run to $500 a square foot to build due to their special energy and ventilation needs.

That's a potential deterrent to developers, and the resulting local shortage is cited as a major impediment to growing Hawaii's life-sciences community.

"Think of Kakaako as a mall with the medical school as the anchor store. A lot of smaller stores are needed in that mall, too, but you need leasable research space or it won't happen," Cadman said.

The tax credits could provide a solution. State Act 221 technology tax credits are geared for investors with an existing Hawaii tax liability, limiting their usefulness for deep-pocketed mainland investors. But the estate hopes Act 221 and the federal tax credits together will bring in a healthy mix of both local and offshore investment.

"We want to provide the dirt and we let others come in with the capital," said Kirk Belsby, the estate's vice president for endowment.



Joining Belsby and Cadman on the group submitting the community development application is Dr. Leroy Hood, one of the world's leading scientists in molecular biotechnology. Now based at Seattle's Institute for Systems Biology, which he co-founded, Hood's work in the 1960s and 70s set the stage for the eventual mapping of the human genome. He also helped start a number of successful biomedical companies such as Amgen, Applied Biosystems and MacroGenics.

Belsby says the estate remains committed to life-sciences development even if it fails to secure the tax breaks. It has commissioned a $500,000 study from Washington, D.C.-based New Economy Strategies, expected to be completed next month, that will identify the most suitable life sciences disciplines to target. Options could include plant sciences, marine biology and biopharmaceuticals. The findings will serve as the trust's "road map" for Kakaako.

"Even if we don't get the tax credits, we'll have a base of knowledge we can proceed on," said Belsby.

Various visions for Kakaako have come and gone ever since the state set up the Hawaii Community Development Authority in 1976 to oversee redevelopment in the area.

But hopes are rising now that a key private landowner is stepping up.

"I'm very optimistic. I really think something is going to happen now," said Sanford Murata, former director of the estate's commercial real estate division.

Hawaii's improving economy is a key factor in the trust's timing, Belsby said.

"The difference today is that the market has improved. The economy has strengthened to the point where it now supports this kind of thing. And we also now have an anchor project in the medical school," he said.



Kamehameha Schools hopes to get the ball rolling later this year, when it will seek proposals for a pair of development projects viewed as catalysts. No specifics are available yet but the estate wants a research-use facility developed on the makai side of Ala Moana Boulevard next to the medical center, and a mixed-use commercial and residential development on the mauka side.

Cadman said any new research space is likely to be 100 percent leased up within six months, so great is the demand. He says a number of smaller California biotech firms already are waiting for space here and expects others to be lured by the cachet of a Hawaii headquarters.

But Pat Sullivan, president and chief executive of medical device-maker Hoana Medical, said it will take more than just new space. A concerted effort to improve Hawaii firms' access to funding also will be crucial. The company has offices nearby in Kakaako.

"There's a misconception that we need to attract companies to be transplanted here. What we really need is to build great companies of our own. That will provide the evidence that this is a good place to grow and do business," he said.

Timing also will be a key issue. Cadman said the earliest new leasable research space wouldn't be completed for about two years.

That may be too long, Sullivan said.

"Timing is the critical issue. Anything longer than that can have a profound impact on these companies," he said. "The technology business is so time-sensitive. It's critical that things get done quickly."

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  #65  
Old Posted Jul 22, 2004, 4:47 AM
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Okay here's another project update rundown of what i have so far:

U/C:

In The City

1• Koolani >U/C (Completed by 2006)
*400ft? 47 story - (370-unit) luxury condominium

2• Lanikea >U/C (Completed by 2005)
*300 ft 25 story - (100-unit) two-bedroom, fee simple condominium development

3• Hokua >U/C (Completed by 2005)
*418 ft 40 story - (250-unit) luxury condominium

4• 215 North King Street (Aala Site Condominiums) A
*23 stories - (251-unit) tower
>Downtown Affordables downtown residential condominium project

In The Burbs

5• Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club Tower 1 >U/C (Completed by 2004?)
*12 stories

6• Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club Tower 2 >U/C (Completed by 2004?)
*12 stories

Approved:

1• Waikikian Tower (Completed by 2005)
*38 stories

2• Kulana Hale Apartments II
*15-16 stories (162-unit)

3• Kapi'olani Akahi Continuing Care Retirement Community (Completed by 2005)
*294 ft 26 stories

4• Moana Pacific Tower I
46 story (350-unit)

5• Moana Pacific Tower II
46 story (350-unit)
*Sales to start early next year. Construction as soon as Jan. currently awaiting permit approval.


6• Nine O Nine Kapiolani (once known as Emerald Tower)
*32 stories (230-unit)

Proposed:


1• Pacific Quay Office Tower
(200,000 sq ft)

2• Pacific Quay Hotel Tower
(250-unit)

3• Unnamed Project
(200-unit) - tower over looking Honolulu Harbor

4• Outrigger Beach Walk Hotel
*27 stories

5• Kakaako Project
*25 stories

6• 800 Nu'uanu Avenue (2006)
*220ft 21 stories - (189-unit)

7• World Trade Center Hawaii (2006?)
*400 ft

8• Iwilei Elderly Housing
*13-15 stories
>Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i's (residential complex for the elderly) - near the old O'ahu Railway & Land Terminal building


9• 2121 Kuhio Avenue
*27 stories

10• Hobron Condominium Project (more info yet to be released by Irongate Capital Partners)

11• The Laie Hotel Project? hmmm

12• Victoria Ward Urban Village Apts - 218 units
*12 stories (Completed by Fall 2006)

**Two others are possible I will post updates as I receive more info!

I've also noticed many under 12 stories u/c two in my neighborhood alone.

Edit: added Victoria Ward Project...

Last edited by Urbanguy; Jul 28, 2004 at 10:10 PM.
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  #66  
Old Posted Jul 28, 2004, 7:58 PM
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MORE...

Ward makeover: $100M Urban Village - Including a 12 story mixed use building 2 levels of shops, 10 above as rental apartments



Victoria Ward Centers will spend more than $100 million to add rental apartments, retail space and a new parking structure as it converts its Kaka'ako shopping complex into an urban village where people live, work and entertain themselves.

The plan calls for replacing the Ward Village shops, which include Starbucks and Kua 'Aina Sandwich Shop, with two levels of retail topped by 10 levels of apartments, and surrounded by a seven-story parking structure.

The ambitious development will be the center's biggest project since the $40 million, 156,000-square-foot entertainment complex with theaters, restaurants, stores and parking that opened three years ago.

"We already have a great mix of tenants, and this development will create a true live/work/play option for O'ahu residents and create a more vibrant street life," said Victoria Ward general manager Jeff Dinsmore.

"We're very excited."

The long-considered project would expand retail space at Victoria Ward's complex of shopping centers by a third to 800,000 square feet and alleviate parking constraints.

The new retail space will total about 200,000 square feet and will maintain Victoria Ward as O'ahu's third-largest retail complex behind Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center.

The redevelopment will retain Pier 1 Imports and incorporate an 1,100-stall parking structure and 218 rental apartments on most of the block bordered by Kamake'e, Auahi and the new Queen Street extension.

In addition to that project, a new 10,000-square-foot retail space will be built to replace the Tesoro gas station on the corner of Ward Avenue and Auahi Street and another 10,000 square feet of shops will be carved into Ward Centre's parking garage fronting Auahi.

Existing tenants of the 20,000-square-foot Ward Village will be moved to new shop space at the gas station or Ward Centre parking sites.

Redevelopment work on the gas station and Ward Centre parking shops could begin in January and be completed in the spring if planning and the acquisition of permits progress as anticipated.

The larger Ward Village redevelopment would commence after completion of the two smaller projects, and the new stores are projected to be finished in spring 2006, followed by the apartments in fall 2006.

Dinsmore did not identify prospective new tenants for the expansion, though he said some would be new to Hawai'i. Previously, Victoria Ward has said it has talked with Cost Plus World Market and Linens 'N Things.

The planned additions would be the first major change at Victoria Ward since General Growth Properties bought the property in May 2002 for $250 million.

Previous owners had considered such an expansion as part of their vision to transform the sprawling property of retail centers, warehouses and offices into a "live/work/play" neighborhood where people can walk from their homes to work, dine out, go to a movie and shop.

General Growth, a Chicago-based real estate investment trust that owns Ala Moana Center, had been reassessing the plans since its purchase of Victoria Ward.

Meanwhile, the urban village vision of a two-block Main Street surrounded by a residential community began to materialize with the development of the Hokua luxury high-rise condominium on the diamondhead end of the property and another on a neighboring site.

Dinsmore said there has been strong demand for rental apartments as well as for parking, which at times has been tight and an issue for some retailers.

"The success of our developments down here have made parking a challenge," he said. "We are always looking for ways to make Victoria Ward an even more customer-friendly destination for shopping, dining and entertainment."


Ward Village, the complex of shops across Auahi Street from Ward Centre, will be replaced with two levels of retail topped by 10 levels of apartments, and surrounded by a seven-story parking structure.
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  #67  
Old Posted Jul 28, 2004, 8:17 PM
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Ward Village Shops across from Ward Centre was shown yesterday in this overview photo. Plans are under way to revamp the area with more retail shops as well as residential rentals.



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Old Posted Jul 30, 2004, 7:26 PM
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Pier 2 getting big makeover

Two state agencies are undertaking multimillion-dollar face-lifts at Honolulu Harbor's Pier 2 that could have the industrial-looking area bustling with more tourists and business activity.

On the mauka side of Pier 2, the Foreign Trade Zone 9 facility, an incubator for import-export firms, will be gaining 40,000 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet of warehouse space.


The Transportation Department expects to open bids next week on a project to convert the makai side of the pier into a more passenger-friendly terminal for increasing cruise-ship arrivals. That project is expected to cost $15 million to $25 million.

Meanwhile, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism has started work to improve its cavernous Foreign Trade Zone 9 facility on the other end of the pier.

Ultimately, DBEDT wants to add more than 40,000 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet of warehouse space to the zone, which has served as an incubator for many local import-export firms for more than 35 years.

The two projects, along with a proposed private residential-commercial development in the area, could combine to dramatically raise the public profile of Pier 2, where up to now many small businesses have operated quietly and arriving cruise-ship passengers have sometimes had to dodge stray forklifts and use port-a-potties.

"It's going to spruce up the area, make security tighter and help separate the two uses," said Mark Anderson, the trade zone administrator.

The cruise terminal work will include a new reception concourse, elevator, escalator, restrooms, air conditioning and lighting, security and safety improvements.

The warehouse space at Pier 2 has served in recent years as a cruise terminal when more than one large ship is in port, said DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa.



The new improvements are designed to give arriving and departing passengers an experience more like the ones their fellow travelers receive at the main cruise-ship terminal at Pier 5 near Aloha Tower.

The $3.3 million first phase of the foreign trade zone expansion project includes construction of an additional 12,400 square feet of office space, 4,000 square feet of warehouse and more storage and maintenance space.

A second $6.8 million phase, planned for completion in 2007, calls for an additional 30,000 square feet of office space specifically focused on establishing an expanded hub for local and international trade organizations that could attract more international businesses.

An underused asset

The trade zone at Pier 2 is an underutilized gem that's been in existence for decades, said Timothy Wrath, president of Hawaiian Cooler Co., which has been there for more than a decade.

Like dozens of other users, the company, which sells portable coolers, rents space in the zone rather than acquiring its own private warehouse and office space, Wrath said.

"We benefit in a number of ways," he said. "First, you are charged only for the warehouse space you use, rather than having to pay for unoccupied warehouse space all time. That's a big saving."

Other advantages include having a centralized facility that offers quick access to government officials, customs brokers and shippers and rules that allow companies to pay duties only when their products leave the zone, instead of when they arrive.

"It's a shame that a lot more people don't know about it," Wrath said.

Patrick Lau, president of Savor Brand, a company that sells food packaging material, said he stumbled on the zone's advantages when he was setting up the business eight months ago.

"It's all about the location and having basically everything together, including warehouse, labor, electricity and office space management. It's pretty much a one-stop shop," he said.

"It's one of the best things the state has done."

Anderson, the trade zone administrator, said that's the kind of support that's drawing the need for expansion.

"There's an unusually high demand for the space among anybody that's involved in international trade," he said. "With the new space, we think we'll be able to attract even more people to the zone."

Other proposals

All of the improvements also come at a time when the Aloha Tower Development Corp. has been working with Dallas developer Ken Hughes, who has proposed a $360 million redevelopment project that would extend from Piers 2 to 6 and include up to 550 new residential rental units in the area.

Hughes has proposed using some of the existing open space at the foreign trade zone for Aloha Tower Marketplace parking and building a streetcar that would connect the entire area to downtown Honolulu.

Creighton Goldsmith, chief customs inspector for the U.S. Customs & Border Protection Office in Honolulu, said all the expansion is actually taking away space from the one of the area's biggest need: cargo storage.

"We've had a tripling of outgoing cargo recently and we're running out of space for it all," Goldsmith said.

He said he'd like to see an expansion of the adjoining Pier 1 facility, the primary shipping point for international cargo, but several other projects, including new car shippers, are competing for the space.

"There's no easy solution, but with all the increasing uses, something is going to have to give," he said.
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Old Posted Aug 5, 2004, 9:25 AM
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...yet another....

A&B plans another Honolulu hi-rise condo

*I will post renderings and updates as soon as they come in!

Alexander & Baldwin Inc. announced plans Wednesday to purchase a 2.7-acre parcel of vacant land to build another high-rise condominium in Honolulu.
Click Here

The property, comprising an entire block at the corner of South and Queen streets in the burgeoning Kakaako district, was purchased for an undisclosed price.

"We are extremely pleased to have secured this property and the opportunity to develop another quality condominium project in Honolulu," said A&B President and CEO Allen Doane. "The property is in a great location, within walking distance of downtown and in close proximity to numerous business and government offices, retail and entertainment centers and dining establishments."

He added that Kakaako was emerging as a "new urban village" and a place for people to live, work and play.

The developer plans to build a condominium offering more than 300 units.

Sales are expected to begin early next year, with construction targeted for late 2005. The units are expected to range somewhere between $450,000 and $650,000.

Four other high-rise condominium projects, Hokua, Koolani, Moana Pacific and 909 Kapiolani, also are planned in Kakaako.

Alexander & Baldwin is a partner in the Hokua project, being developed in a joint venture with the MacNaughton and Kobayashi Groups.

A&B also is building Lanikea, another high-rise condominium already sold out and under construction on Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki.

Kakaako M-P Development, the owner of the parcel, originally planned to develop a high-rise project in the early 1990s. After preparing the site, Kakaako M-P Development decided not to go forward. Since then, the property has been used as a parking lot.

Closing of the purchase is scheduled for late August.

Here's the location on map:


Last edited by Urbanguy; Aug 5, 2004 at 12:05 PM.
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Old Posted Aug 5, 2004, 9:30 AM
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Okay here's another project update 8/4/2004 rundown of what i have so far:

U/C:

In The City

1• Koolani >U/C (Completed by 2006)
*400ft? 47 story - (370-unit) luxury condominium

2• Lanikea >U/C (Completed by 2005)
*300 ft 25 story - (100-unit) two-bedroom, fee simple condominium development

3• Hokua >U/C (Completed by 2005)
*418 ft 40 story - (250-unit) luxury condominium

4• 215 North King Street (Aala Site Condominiums) A
*23 stories - (251-unit) tower
>Downtown Affordables downtown residential condominium project

In The Burbs

5• Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club Tower 1 >U/C (Completed by 2004?)
*12 stories

6• Marriott's Ko'Olina Beach Club Tower 2 >U/C (Completed by 2004?)
*12 stories

Approved:

1• Waikikian Tower (Completed by 2005)
*38 stories

2• Kulana Hale Apartments II
*15-16 stories (162-unit)

3• Kapi'olani Akahi Continuing Care Retirement Community (Completed by 2005)
*294 ft 26 stories

4• Moana Pacific Tower I
46 story (350-unit)

5• Moana Pacific Tower II
46 story (350-unit)
*Sales to start early next year. Construction as soon as Jan. currently awaiting permit approval.


6• Nine O Nine Kapiolani (once known as Emerald Tower)
*32 stories (230-unit)

Proposed:


1• Pacific Quay Office Tower
(200,000 sq ft)

2• Pacific Quay Hotel Tower
(250-unit)

3• Unnamed Project
(200-unit) - tower over looking Honolulu Harbor

4• Outrigger Beach Walk Hotel
*27 stories

5• Kakaako Project
*25 stories

6• 800 Nu'uanu Avenue (2006)
*220ft 21 stories - (189-unit)

7• World Trade Center Hawaii (2006?)
*400 ft

8• Iwilei Elderly Housing
*13-15 stories
>Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i's (residential complex for the elderly) - near the old O'ahu Railway & Land Terminal building


9• 2121 Kuhio Avenue
*27 stories

10• Hobron Condominium Project (more info yet to be released by Irongate Capital Partners)

11• The Laie Hotel Project? hmmm

12• Victoria Ward Urban Village Apts - 218 units
*12 stories (Completed by Fall 2006)

13• South and Queen Street Condo Project (by Alexander & Baldwin Inc)
*300+ units - more details in the near future! (late 2005 begin construction)


**Two others are possible I will post updates as I receive more info!

I've also noticed many under 12 stories u/c two in my neighborhood alone.
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Old Posted Aug 5, 2004, 11:58 AM
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Wait theres more! This just in!

Aquarium master plan may include a hotel

The company proposing to develop an aquarium and ocean science center in Kaka'ako wants to expand its plans to include residential units, retail and entertainment space, parking and possibly a hotel.

Kajima Urban Development recently requested to exclusively negotiate with the state Hawaii Community Development Authority to become master developer of several waterfront parcels near the planned aquarium at the edge of Kewalo Basin and Point Panic.

KUD, which is finalizing its aquarium and ocean science center plan, said it makes sense to develop neighboring properties in conjunction with the aquarium complex, and has partnered with retail development giant and Ala Moana Center owner General Growth Properties in the effort.

"We believe that this is the most efficient way to proceed," wrote officials with KUD and General Growth in a letter to the agency last week. "It will accelerate the redevelopment of Kaka'ako and provide a master-planned development that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the (state)."

The agency, which controls development rights of state property in the area, has yet to respond to the unsolicited proposal.

State land makai of Ala Moana between Kewalo Basin and Honolulu Harbor has been the focus of the state's most important redevelopment effort since Aloha Tower Marketplace in the early 1990s.

During the past decade, the agency has had difficulty facilitating development of much of the property because of a weak economy, political controversy and questionable projects.

Previous development proposals included an indoor snowboarding center, high-technology park and several entertainment/shopping ideas, including one featuring a giant Ferris wheel.

More recently, the University of Hawai'i chose the area for a new medical school, which is being built by an affiliate of KUD, a subsidiary of Japan-based construction firm Kajima Corp.

In November 2002, KUD began exclusive negotiations to lease 10 acres for an estimated $200 million to $250 million facility to replace the Waikiki Aquarium and provide marine research facilities for the university and other users.

Last year, the agency said it planned to solicit development proposals for adjacent waterfront sites, and earlier this year received authorization to issue $20 million in revenue bonds to build a parking structure to support the aquarium and other waterfront development.

Parts of the KUD/General Growth proposal incorporate ideas previously suggested by the agency, such as cloaking residential units around a parking structure and creating a retail and entertainment mix of businesses along Kewalo Basin.

A business hotel was another possible use envisioned by KUD that in past years has been considered by the state.

KUD in its proposal also said it has discussed providing facilities for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, which is searching for a site to consolidate operations spread among a dozen locations on O'ahu.

"NOAA has not yet selected a site ... but is strongly interested in the KUD parcel in Kaka'ako," KUD's proposal said.

Bill Broglie, NOAA chief administrative officer in Maryland, said the federal agency has discussed the possibility with KUD, but is considering other sites and would use a competitive bid process to select a developer of its facility.

The NOAA has $29 million allocated for a Pacific Region Center to house various operations including weather forecasting, marine science studies and management of fisheries and coastal zones. NOAA also operates two research ships with a third on the way, and would like to broaden educational outreach possibly with a visitors center.

KUD is asking the state for an exclusive one-year negotiation period to allow pursuit of an agreement with NOAA, which KUD envisions as a third anchor in the area with the medical school and aquarium.

KUD also would conduct feasibility and other studies for the master plan. General Growth, which also owns Victoria Ward Centers nearby, would assist with the retail and entertainment components of the master plan.

Victoria Ward, before it was acquired by General Growth two years ago, unsuccessfully bid to develop retail shops, a farmer's market and entertainment and restaurant uses on part of the Kewalo waterfront in 1999.

"We believe it needs to be master-planned together to make it effective," said Jeff Dinsmore, Victoria Ward general manager. "Otherwise we could end up with a real mess."

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Old Posted Aug 9, 2004, 3:53 AM
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Housing rule changing soon

New affordable housing in Kaka'ako is once again on the horizon, after nearly a decade without any below-market condominiums or rental apartments being developed.

Three years ago the state suspended rules that required private developers of buildings higher than 45 feet in Kaka'ako to either provide affordable residential units or give the state money to build below-market housing.

On Sept. 16, the suspension of the special assessment will expire, and developers will once again be building or paying for affordable housing. The waiver expiration comes as home prices hit record levels, generating a renewed focus on the need for affordable housing.

"We're in a crisis when it comes to housing," said Darlene Hein, executive director of the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance. "The cost of housing is out of sight, even for people with fairly high incomes. Those at the lowest level of income are those who are the most affected by that."

The Legislature created the Hawai'i Community Development Authority in 1976 to guide redevelopment of the area roughly bounded by Ala Moana and Pi'ikoi, Punchbowl and King streets.

Part of the agency's mission is to ensure a supply for low- and moderate-income families — specifically the "gap" group of people who make too much to qualify for government assistance but not enough to qualify for a typical mortgage.

So developers seeking greater development density for commercial or residential projects between 45 feet to 400 feet high were required to make 20 percent of a project affordable housing or pay cash to help the state finance affordable housing in the area.

The cash fee was initially up to 2.5 percent of a project's gross revenue, but was raised to 4 percent in 1990 as luxury condos flooded the market and property values soared.

Under the fee rule, 1,400 affordable units were built from 1982 to 1996. But development stopped after that, as the state's economy and housing market faltered.

In hopes of stimulating development, the agency reduced the fee for projects that contained more moderate-priced residential units, and in 1997 waived the fee for one year. But that failed to spur additional development.

The fee was reinstituted in 1998, but by 2001, with still no qualified projects on the radar, the agency again waived the fee, this time for three years in order to accommodate long-range planning for land acquisition, financing and permitting.

Developers at the time said the waiver would remove a disincentive to building in the area, and reduce prices of units built. At the time, developers estimated that the price of a $300,000 condo would drop roughly $10,000 with the waiver.

Supporters of the waiver also said the gap between below-market and at-market units had dramatically narrowed since the early 1990s.

Others opposed the waiver, including the state Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i, which encouraged relaxing the rule instead of suspending it.

Building approved

Since the waiver was granted, three major residential high-rises were approved with about 1,100 units at mostly high-moderate and luxury prices.

At Hokua, the first to begin construction, sales average about $1 million per unit in the 248-unit project.

The Moana Pacific twin-tower project also has qualified, and 909 Kapiolani expects to complete its permit application to qualify for the waiver by the Sept. 16 deadline.

A fourth project under construction, Ko'olani, is part of the five-tower former Nauru project that previously satisfied its affordable-housing commitment.

Hong Lee, project manager for 909 Kapiolani, said the fee would have jeopardized the 150-unit condo, which was delayed for nearly 10 years in part because of weak economies in Hawai'i and South Korea where the developer's parent company is based.

"The waiver of the affordable-housing rule is a huge issue," he said. "We would have to sacrifice up to 20 percent of the units, for affordable housing, or pay (about) $4 million."

Dan Dinell, development authority executive director, said the waiver served its purpose.

"That fact is validated by the major projects that are coming to fruition," he said.

Dinell said the waiver led to several hundred million dollars of economic activity, and has an ongoing benefit of strengthening the city's property tax base.

A&B project

Last week, Alexander & Baldwin Inc. announced it reached an agreement to purchase a 2.7-acre parking lot on South Street on which it anticipates starting construction of a 300-plus-unit condo late next year.

A&B representatives said the company will not be able to qualify for the waiver before it expires, but has not decided how it will satisfy the affordable-housing requirement.

The A&B project, with unit prices estimated between $450,000 and $650,000, would be the first project to contribute to the Kaka'ako affordable-housing program in nearly 10 years.

Based on the latest median household income for Honolulu and interest rates a little under 6 percent, the fee would range from 4 percent of units priced above $580,000, and progressively decrease to zero for units at or below $437,000.

If A&B sold 300 units at $600,000, it would incur a $7.2 million assessment under the formula, which fluctuates with changes in median income and interest rates.

The development authority has $1.5 million in its affordable-housing development fund that can be used for projects or to buy back affordable units if owners sell within 10 years.

If affordable units were built today under state guidelines and a 6 percent mortgage rate, a family with an annual income of $52,550 would qualify for a home priced at $215,300. The price rises to as much as $376,800 for a family earning $91,980.

"We certainly have a great need," said Stephanie Aveiro, executive director of the state Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i, which works with the Kaka'ako development authority to establish affordable housing. "We're glad to see the end of the three-year waiver."

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Old Posted Aug 9, 2004, 10:56 AM
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Hawai'i's first government-financed homeless complex to provide transitional housing and one-stop support for 150 people is planned at a site in Wai'anae, pending final approval, city officials said last week.



Federal money allocated by the city will pay for the $5.3 million project on state land near the Kau'iokalani public housing project, said Mayor Jeremy Harris, a strong proponent.

Approval by a committee of city officials could come this week. No council or other approval is needed.

Stanlyn Placencia, executive director of Wai'anae Community Outreach, said there will likely be a public hearing and she hopes residents will move into the first units in about 15 months.

The project, considered all but dead six months ago, got new life when a consortium of three nonprofit groups stepped forward to manage the project before last week's deadline. Homeless Solutions Inc., Wai'anae Community Outreach and the U.S. Veterans Initiative will share management, Harris said.

The consortium was the sole applicant for the project, which evolved from a Harris proposal last year. Homeless advocates criticized the original proposal for failing to provide long-term housing with support services and for failing to provide money to operate the facility.

Wai'anae residents worry the facility could draw more homeless to their community, which is already home to 1,000 people on the street on any given day.

But, Harris said, it is an important first step in providing care for O'ahu's 3,297 homeless.

The complex is "not just a homeless shelter, but an actual facility that will be able to do intake services and provide the necessary referral services for a whole variety of different problems and needs to get at the cause of the homelessness," he said. "If you don't deal with that, you're never going to solve the problem."

The complex will be for singles as well as couples and families, which is unique. Other private facilities focus on specific groups, usually women with children.

Anna Peroff, 36, who has been homeless for about two years, said the planned homeless facility in Wai'anae gives her hope for the future.

Peroff now lives in her car with her boyfriend along the Wai'anae coast.

Peroff, a former drug user, said it is hard to get the support services and job training she needs to improve her life while living on the streets.

"It would make a big difference to me," Peroff said. "Having a house would give me more self-esteem to move forward in my life. Now, being on the beach, inside of me, it's different."

She works at the Wai'anae Community Outreach Center and her boyfriend gets construction jobs when he can find them, but they have not earned enough to find a home they can afford.

"If we were in a home and stable, a lot of things would go different for us," she said.

The latest proposal would not have happened without state intervention.

"The state has stepped up to the plate and offered to provide the land," said Terry Brooks, executive director of Homeless Solutions, the lead applicant of the consortium. "That was make or break. Without that, nobody had property and it would have gone nowhere." The land is being provided at a cost of $1 annually.

The state also encouraged the nonprofit groups to put together their proposal to manage the facility, said Sandra Miyoshi, homeless program administrator for the Department of Human Services.

"I didn't want the money to disappear," she said. "How often do you have a commitment of funds to build something for the homeless? Very, very rare. Since this opportunity was there, the providers, everyone kind of scrambled to say what can we do to make this work."

The money was provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Miyoshi said the state's 3.3-acre property at Kau'iokalani was intended for public housing, but sat empty due to lack of money.

"Here we have improved land and no money to build," she said. "The city is offering this opportunity to build something, but the $5.3 million is not enough to purchase land. You put them together and we suddenly have something that can happen to create housing for the homeless."

Wai'anae has one of O'ahu's biggest homeless populations.

"There is a tremendous need out there," Brooks said. "There are so many people, families particularly, living on the beach or in a van. This is meant to address those needs because there is not much out there at this point."

Area residents know help is needed for the homeless, but are concerned that it's in their backyard.

Cynthia Rezentes, chairwoman of the Wai'anae Neighborhood Board, said putting a major new homeless facility along the coast could send more needy people searching for help their way.

"I think this is one of the fears a lot of people have," Rezentes said. "As far as accommodating the homeless people that are here today, I don't think you're going to find anybody opposed to that. The question is who all else is going to end up out here because of that."

Rezentes would like to see similar centers built in other areas.

"Nobody out here is going to say we won't handle our own. That is not the issue," she said. "But, you can't blame them for gravitating to where the services are."

The facility will have 55 units of transitional housing and a one-stop support services center. It will also have an additional 20 units of supportive housing for homeless veterans in former Navy barracks in Kalaeloa.

Money for staff and maintenance will come from rent for the units, which will be set at no more than 30 percent of tenants' adjusted income. People without income also will be considered for housing, according to the applicant's proposal.

The three groups that will co-manage the facility have experience in this area.

Homeless Solutions currently runs four family transitional complexes, two that were supported by the city. Neither of the city-supported facilities provide one-stop support services on-site, and they are not for all homeless people.

One of them, Vancouver House, opened in January 1999 and houses 30 families, mostly single women and their children.

"Except for Vancouver House, there hasn't been much new built by anybody to address the homeless issue for many years," Brooks said. "It is something whose time has come."

Harris said even though he leaves office at the end of the year, he would like to see the city continue to build similar projects where needed.

"The city gets $15 million to $20 million in (federal) funds every year," he said. "So we could easily set aside $5 million a year and build a new one every year in different parts of the island."

The Wai'anae project is a good start, but there is still a long way to go to solving homelessness in Hawai'i, Harris said.

"We can't just keep sheltering homeless," he said. "We've got to figure out what is causing the homelessness and deal with that so they are no longer homeless. They can be transitioned back into society and have jobs and are productive and gotten treatment for the mental illness or drug abuse or whatever it is. I think (this project) has great potential."
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Old Posted Aug 20, 2004, 12:45 PM
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Current pic of the HUGE urban mega Wal-Mart/Sams Clubs U/C a block from my house its set to open in Oct
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Old Posted Sep 1, 2004, 11:29 AM
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Voyaging canoe Hokule'a inspires Kaka'ako plan

This is a detail of developer D.G. "Andy" Anderson's proposed Kaka'ako complex, which would resemble Hokule'a.



Goodbye Ferris wheel, hello sails of Hokule'a.

Almost five years after a state panel killed an ambitious plan by D.G. "Andy" Anderson to redevelop state land along the Kewalo waterfront, the restaurateur and former politician is back with a new proposal.

Out is Anderson's old idea for a 130-foot-high Ferris wheel surrounded by retail shops and restaurants.

The new project's focal point is a nearly 300-foot-high Pacific Rim business trade center made to look like a giant version of the Hawaiian sailing canoe Hokule'a — with residential, office and possibly hotel units in tall, thin buildings designed as "sails" attached above twin canoe-shaped hull structures.

Retail shops, restaurants, a farmers market, underground parking, an outdoor concert venue and space for another developer's aquarium also are part of Anderson's revised plan, which he hopes to publicly present to the state agency controlling development of the area in October.

The proposal — dubbed Hawai'i Pacific Trade Center, The Sails of Hokule'a — includes demolishing and rebuilding Anderson's John Dominis restaurant, as well as previous Anderson ideas for a miniature golf course and carousel.

Anderson's last proposal failed to win support from the state, and he blamed then-Gov. Ben Cayetano for nixing it. Anderson said he believes he has a better chance under Gov. Linda Lingle's administration.

"Hopefully it's going to be accepted," he said. "I'm in love with what we came up with. I think it's gorgeous. I give you my best shot. If it gets rejected, I can live with that."

Anderson also is asking the state to approve him as master developer of several waterfront parcels at the 'ewa edge of Kewalo Basin in Kaka'ako.

Last month, the company negotiating to develop an aquarium and ocean science center in the area teamed with giant retail developer General Growth Properties on a competing proposition.

That plan, headed by Kajima Urban Development, would expand the aquarium and ocean science center plan to also include residential units, retail and entertainment space, a parking structure and possibly a hotel.

Anderson's proposal would incorporate KUD's aquarium and science center.

"I'm looking for a marriage," Anderson said yesterday. "I'm not trying to throw them out."

Anderson, in his written proposal, did challenge a couple of the aspects of KUD's larger plan, including building residential units around a centralized parking structure, and offering space for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as an area anchor tenant.

Anderson questioned the wisdom of housing government operations on valuable waterfront property, and said residential units would be better located away from the core of retail and entertainment activities.

Both the KUD and Anderson proposals, however, are conceptual and subject to refinement.

The Hawai'i Community Development Authority, the state agency overseeing redevelopment of the area, got a copy of Anderson's proposal Monday.

The agency said it could not respond yet because it is in the midst of a 60-day review of KUD's aquarium plan. The authority also has not publicly commented on KUD's larger proposal.

Land makai of Ala Moana between Kewalo Basin and Ho-nolulu Harbor has been the focus of the state's most important redevelopment effort since Aloha Tower Marketplace in the early 1990s. The effort got a boost two years ago when construction began on the University of Hawai'i medical school, which is being built by an affiliate of KUD, a subsidiary of Japan-based construction firm Kajima Corp.

The recent interest from developers follows a decade of difficulty in state efforts to facilitate private development of much of the land because of a weak economy and questionable projects.

One of the biggest controversies involved Anderson's original plan, called Kewalo Pointe.

The $138 million Ferris wheel-anchored project was tentatively selected in 1999 over eight competing plans that included an indoor snowboarding center, high-technology park and several entertainment/shopping ideas.

But after months of sometimes contentious negotiations between Anderson and the development authority, as well as the replacement of two key Kewalo Pointe supporters on the board, agency directors voted 7-2 to reject the project in December 1999.

The board said Anderson underestimated construction costs and inflated revenue projections.

Anderson at the time argued that his project was supported by consultant feasibility studies, and said that if financial lenders were willing to back the project the state shouldn't have rejected it.

Anderson, a former state senator and Republican Party leader, said the plan was rejected as political payback by Cayetano, a Democrat with four officials in his administration on the agency board. Anderson later switched parties and ran for governor as a Democrat in 2002.

Cayetano yesterday said that Anderson's allegations are not worthy of a response.

Five years ago, then-agency executive director Jan Yokota defended the board's decision as one that independently assessed Anderson's market study and agency staff recommendations.

Yesterday Anderson reaffirmed his belief that the rejection was "pure down-and-dirty politics. It was a political decision, and I can live with that."

Anderson, who five years ago vowed not to invest another dollar in Hawai'i under the previous administration, said Lingle's Republican administration gives him more confidence his second attempt will receive fairer review.

Anderson's son Brian Anderson, a Big Island-based real estate developer, also is working on the Kewalo project.

Andy Anderson is the company's managing member. Others on the team include Architects Hawai'i principal Joe Farrell and real-estate consultants Brad Lofgren with CB Richard Ellis in Los Angeles and Yoshi Takagi of Cosmos Australia Pty. Ltd.
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Old Posted Sep 1, 2004, 12:46 PM
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Urbanguy - can you post a link to this article?
thx! CDragon
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Old Posted Sep 1, 2004, 8:41 PM
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Old Posted Sep 3, 2004, 7:44 PM
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Shopping options to expand at Kunia center

About 30 new restaurants, retailers and service providers are expected to begin moving into Kunia Shopping Center in fall 2005.



Nordic Construction Ltd. is scheduled to break ground today on the 60,000-square-foot complex being developed by Alexander & Baldwin Inc. below Wal-Mart and Times Super Market.

Signed tenants include Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Auntie Pasto's, Quizno's, GameStop, SuperCuts, Bellagio Day Spa, Sumo Sushi, Baskin-Robbins, Pearl's Korean BBQ, CeCe Casuals, Kiawe Grill, Manawa Lea Health Services, Tammy Chang DDS, Dental Fitness and Royal Kunia Dental.

Leasing agents also have sought Blockbuster Video, a bookstore, dollar store and a large specialty retailer. About 30 percent of center space is still available.

A&B bought the 4.55-acre property from an affiliate of Kapi'olani Health for about $2.7 million in late 2002 and announced plans to build the estimated $9 million complex.

NOAA closing in on new Oahu site

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has narrowed to three the possible sites for a new office and laboratory building on Oahu, its director confirmed yesterday.

Windward Community College in Kaneohe, state land in Kakaako and the Navy's Ford Island would all be excellent locations for the facility, said NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher Jr. Each site has attributes and drawbacks to be weighed as the agency makes a final decision, he said.

For example, Lautenbacher said, the Windward Community College campus would provide a pleasant workplace and close affiliation with University of Hawaii marine science researchers, but it could not provide berths for NOAA's three ocean research vessels.

Ford Island would provide nearby deep-draft harbor berths, and Kakaako would be the closest to agency employees at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he said.

Lautenbacher, who is in Honolulu for the commissioning of the new NOAA research ship Hiialakai today, would not say which of the finalist sites is likely to emerge as the chosen one.

"We know we want pleasant, productive surroundings" that will provide a good working environment for NOAA scientists and their collaborators, Lautenbacher said.

The new building is expected to house 450 NOAA employees. It would consolidate the workplace for about 260 NOAA employees who work at numerous Oahu locations, and it would make room for up to 190 new employees and expanded research. The agency has budgeted $29 million for planning, design and early construction for the new NOAA center but has not released estimates of the total cost.

The Pacific Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command will manage the project for NOAA, including development of an environmental impact statement that will compare the sites, Lautenbacher said. Under the EIS process, people can comment on the locations at public hearings.

NOAA is part of the federal Department of Commerce and includes the National Weather Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and National Marine Sanctuary Program.

The proposed building would have 400,000 square feet of space -- about one-quarter the size of Ala Moana Center.

A NOAA study estimated the project would provide $40 million in construction-related jobs over two years.
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  #79  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2004, 11:24 AM
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Waikiki gets preview of new condo projects

Two new residential building projects, further signs of the area's condominium sales boom, will be discussed during the Waikiki Neighborhood Board meeting tonight.

The two are among several projects that have been announced or started in the past year after about a decade with no residential condo construction starts.

Presentations are scheduled on the Ala Wai Gateway and Royal Kahili Tower condominium projects.

The Royal Kahili Tower will be a 208-foot, 26-unit building on Ala Wai Boulevard at Namahana Street. The two-bedroom, fee-simple units will have 1,300 to 1,400 square feet.

The market-priced project is being proposed by Nichiei USA Inc., which owns the neighboring Royal Garden Hotel. The property is vacant except for a swimming pool on two parcels and the owner hopes to start construction in June.

The Ala Wai Gateway, a 350-foot, 212-unit tower is being proposed by Irongate Ala Wai Investors LLC.

The 37-story building will be at 1609 Ala Wai Boulevard with portions on Hobron Lane and Liteetee Street.

An 18-unit, three-story building on the property will be torn down.

The developer hopes to begin construction in June and expects 18 months to two years for construction.

Both projects are required to complete an environmental assessment and secure a Waikiki special district permit and building permits before proceeding.

Among the several recent projects in the area are the Tusitala Vista Elderly Apartments, with 106 units for seniors on Ala Wai Boulevard; Belrad Group LLC's 31-story project at 2121 Kuhio Ave.; and a 100-unit condo tower on Kuhio Avenue.

Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, said as long as the projects follow existing zoning codes, they should be positive additions.

"I think the area can handle what it is zoned for," Egged said. "It's when projects ask for a number of variances that they have to be more closely scrutinized."

Egged said the new projects are focused on the upscale market, which is selling quickly.

"Certainly, it brings the clientele to Waikiki that can benefit our businesses."

Egged said it's important that projects keep in mind the concerns of their neighbors, which usually include traffic, views and open space.

"There was a concern in the past that Waikiki was overbuilt, but as you see, these projects come into areas that are either vacant or have blighted buildings on them. I think a high-quality development is a positive thing for Waikiki, not a negative one," he said.
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Old Posted Sep 14, 2004, 7:52 PM
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The forest of high-rises lining the Ala Wai Canal could get a bit thicker if plans for a pair of separate residential towers take root.

A development partnership wants to build a 350-foot condominium tower with 212 units near the canal's Ewa terminus, while another party has formulated plans for a 208-foot 26-unit development on Namahana Street.



The larger project would be called Ala Wai Gateway and would feature 210 two-bedroom condos and two three-bedroom units. The developer, Irongate Ala Wai LLC, plans to build the project on six parcels reaching from Ala Wai Boulevard to Hobron Lane, an area now marked by weed-filled vacant lots and boarded-up three-story tenements.

The second project has been dubbed Royal Kahili Tower. The developer is Nichiei USA Inc., owner of the adjacent Royal Garden Hotel. The new 208-foot building would be built on three lots fronting Ala Wai Boulevard now used by the hotel as a lawn area.
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