Honolulu Condos

Revised Kakaako Waterfront Statement for Honolulu Neighborhood

A&B Properties, Inc. today presented a revised Kaka'ako Waterfront site plan proposal to the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA). The new plan proposes significant revisions to the original plan including:

• -a reduction in the amount of land and number of residential units for the project's residential component through the elimination of one of the three residential pods;
• -the elimination of the pedestrian bridge linking Ala Moana Park and the Kaka'ako Waterfront Park;
• -the elimination of all proposed development at Kewalo Basin Park, resulting in the area remaining as it is today;
• -the elimination of all commercial development at Point Panic and the creation of additional parking space for this area.

The overall goal of the project continues to be to create a thriving, vibrant pedestrian-oriented community and gathering place for all of Hawaii!&s residents to enjoy.

"Since being chosen in September as the developer for this project, we have conducted an extensive community outreach effort,!( said Stan Kuriyama, CEO of A&B Properties, Inc. "We estimate that, over the last two and a half months, we have been able to reach 5,000 people in the community and inform them about our initial conceptual plan, and have solicited their input. Today, we have proposed to HCDA significant changes to our initial plan in response to that community input.

"Many of the changes we made were to address concerns raised by users of the ocean and Kewalo Basin. The bridge was a concern to boaters because of the height of their masts and the need for continuous access to the Basin. The Kewalo Park and Point Panic areas are extensively used by surfers, bodysurfers and other members of the public and, therefore, keeping these areas free of development, and increasing the parking at Point Panic, will dramatically reduce the impacts to those areas.

"The elimination of one of the three residential pods will serve to reduce the residential unit count, previously at about 950 units, by approximately a third. This was done in an attempt to reduce various impacts from the project, such as traffic and visual impacts, and to reduce the amount of land to be sold by the State. By eliminating one of the pods, approximately six acres will now be dedicated to residential use -- approximately 3 percent of the 200 acres the State owns in fee simple makai of Ala Moana Boulevard.

"At the same time, however, we acknowledge that the removal of this pod will not fully address a basic objection that has been raised to the sale of State land for residential development makai of Ala Moana Boulevard. These are policy issues that State government and our elected officials have the right to address.

"There are different visions that could be adopted for Kaka'ako Makai, ranging from more park space to a life science campus. If, however, it is determined that this vision of creating a vibrant "live, work, learn and play!( community !V a community that does not go dark at night when people leave their offices !V is the proper one for this area of Kaka'ako, then the residential component is obviously essential to achieving that vision.

"We look forward to HCDA!&s response to these proposed changes, and continue to welcome the community!&s input on this important project,!( concluded Kuriyama.

Since being chosen by HCDA in September to develop 36.5 acres of waterfront and the area surrounding Kewalo Basin, A&B has conducted more than 70 meetings with the community through forums, talk-story sessions and one-on-one meetings with a variety of individuals, state officials and groups that have an interest in Kaka'ako and Kewalo Basin. In addition, A&B solicited community input through a telephone hotline and Web site, www.kakaakowaterfront.org.

A&B Properties, Inc. (www.abprop.com) is the real estate subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., a diversified corporation headquartered in Honolulu. A&B!&s major lines of business are ocean transportation and intermodal services (Matson Navigation Company, Inc.; Matson Integrated Logistics, Inc.), real estate (A&B Properties, Inc.) and food products (Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company; Kauai Coffee Company, Inc.). Additional information about A&B may be found at its Web site: www.alexanderbaldwin.com.

For more information about the Kakaako neighborhood in Honolulu, as well as current Kakaako condo listings, please visit our website at www.HNLCondos.com.

Honolulu Upgrading Sewer System

 The City & County of Honolulu will upgrade its aging sewer system to prevent spillage and contamination as part of a settlement announced Monday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The settlement is in response to four lawsuits filed over the past 16 years.

The questionable fitness of the city's water treatment gained greater public awareness after nearly 48 million gallons of sewage entered Waikiki canals in 2006 when rainwater overloaded the wastewater system.

"This is a significant long-sought-after win for the environment and a much-needed change in the management of the city's sewage treatment system," said Robert D. Harris, director of the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter. "We applaud the city for finally committing to fix our sewer system after decades of neglect and years of difficult litigation."

The settlement is aimed at improving Honolulu's wastewater collection system by establishing a fixed timetable for regular improvements and inspections.

It also requires the implementation of a long-term schedule for upgrading some of its primary wastewater treatment plants to more advanced secondary treatment systems.

Many of the details of the settlement were not disclosed, but previous cost estimates for new treatment facilities have hovered near $1.2 billion.

Read more: Honolulu agrees to upgrade sewer system - Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

Two New Condo Highrsies Planned for Kakaako, Honolulu

According to the Honolulu "Star Advertiser": 

"The kamaaina company shells out $16 million for 1.7 acres on which it will build a high-rise."

"

Alexander & Baldwin Inc. has bought undeveloped land in Kakaako approved long ago for a high-rise condominium, and plans to build a 40-story residential tower in 2012.

The company, through its real estate development affiliate A&B Properties Inc., bought the site next to the existing Hawaiki and Ko'olani luxury condo towers for $16 million.

The seller was K2 Investors LLC, an affiliate of California-based development firm Woodridge Capital LLC that planned a 400-foot luxury residential building on the site.

A&B also acquired a smaller nearby site previously envisioned by K2 for an eight-story residential building with moderately priced units that would have satisfied a state affordable-housing requirement.

Michael Wright, A&B Properties executive vice president, said the company believes it's a good time to prepare for the next upswing in urban Honolulu's housing market. "We feel good about the market improving," he said. "We really like the location."

Wright said A&B is aiming for a broad market segment with units priced below the $1 million luxury level, perhaps in the range of $600,000 to $900,000. If design and planning work proceed as expected, unit pre-sales could begin as early as the third quarter of 2011, he said.

Honolulu-based A&B is pursuing what would be the fourth condo tower plan for the site by as many owners.

The 1.7-acre main site was once part of a 17-acre parcel known as 404 Piikoi on which an investment trust of the South Pacific republic of Nauru gained state approval in 1984 to build five towers.

The trust, Nauru Phosphate Royalties (Honolulu) Development Inc., built the luxury Nauru Tower in 1991, and largely satisfied an affordable-housing requirement by completing the moderately priced tower 1133 Waimanu in 1996.

Nauru Phosphate also had begun building Hawaiki in 1993, but Hawaii's real estate downturn at the time stalled construction. After Hawaiki was completed in 1999, only 43 percent of its units were sold.

Under financial pressure, Nauru Phosphate sold the remaining two tower sites in 2003 to Miami-based developer Crescent Heights, which completed Ko'olani in 2006.

Crescent Heights advanced plans for the last tower, which it dubbed Ko'olua, but abandoned the project and sold the site to K2 in early 2007 for about $23 million.

K2 officials said they weren't deterred by what at the time was weakening demand for luxury condos in Honolulu, and expected to start construction on a 295-unit tower in 2008 along with 64 moderately priced units on the smaller parcel nearby. The company secured approvals from the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency regulating development in Kakaako, but didn't progress with sales or construction.

A&B's development history in Kakaako includes completing the Keola La'i high-rise on South Street in 2008 and investing in the luxury Hokua tower that is next to Nauru Tower and was developed by local firms the MacNaughton Group and Kobayashi Group in 2005. A&B also proposed building three condo towers on state land makai of Ala Moana Boulevard just Ewa of Kewalo Basin, but the Legislature killed that plan in 2006."

Kakaako Neighborhood:  Public Meeting Regarding Shoreline Development

According to "Hawaii News Now":

First came the sparks, citizens outraged about plans to develop on the Kakaako shoreline area. They were blasting the consultants as they unveiled possible blueprints, some citizens are upset that some of the consultants the state hired are from the mainland.

"I think they would be a bit more sensitive to the local community, instead of spending thousand of dollars looking into to Pikes Place in Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco," said Curtis Crabbe, a concerned citizen.

Then came the calm, a Hawaiian blessing brought everyone involved back to the focus at hand, working together to come up with the best development plan for last available shoreline open space in Honolulu.

"We are clear on the mandate that we have to build a public gathering place, sans housing, so despite a lot of controversy inside and people saying no housing no housing, it was never discussed," said Anthony Ching of the Hawaii Community Development Authority.

Part of the master plan already includes building a beachfront promenade with shops and restaurants, where the John Dominis restaurant currently is, and a parking lot that would have 1,100 spaces.

"We don't want developments to block our access, we want our free parking which is there now , so all those things come into place and we want access to the ocean," said Ron Iwasa, of the Friends of the Kewalos.

Four years ago hundreds of people rallied against the development of condos on the Kakaako Makai Area. Since then, legislation was passed that prohibits residential structures from being built, but business developments are allowed.

There will be one more community workshop in about two months where the pubic will be allowed to voice their opinion once again, then the final Kakaako Makai Master Development Plan will be complete by the fall.

Oahu, Hawaii Chosen as Manufacturing Site for Electric Mini-Cars

A South Korea-based company has committed to build a $200 million assembly plant on O'ahu that would turn out two-seat electric cars and other vehicles and employ as many as 400 people.

CT&T Co. said it has narrowed its search to four sites on which to build a 100,000-square-foot plant from which it would also sell its elfin vehicles, which are mostly targeted at short jaunts on city and neighborhood streets.

The company and state officials announced the plans yesterday flanked by a dozen of the cars at the state Capitol. Later they signed an agreement pledging to cooperate on meeting each other's goals.

Read the rest of this entry at our Blog at www.HNLCondos.com

New Waikiki Retail Complex - The Waikiki Shopping Plaza

The Waikiki Shopping Plaza's new five-story, 30,000-square-foot addition will be "move-in" ready later this year and open for business in early 2011.

The space, on the mauka corner of Kalakaua and Royal Hawaiian avenues, previously was a standalone building that was home to a Bank of Hawaii branch. It was demolished last year to build the addition, which will connect to the existing Waikiki Shopping Plaza.

Currently known as 2230 Kalakaua, the addition was designed by Honolulu-based MGA Architecture; Swinerton Builders is the general contractor.

MGA Principal Matt Gilbertson told PBN on a recent tour that the still-under-construction building will be Waikiki's newest gem, combining modern and contemporary design elements with natural and ahupuaa-inspired features.

For example, the building's face along Kalakaua Avenue will have five curtainwall glass panels that resemble waterfalls. Behind them will be drywall-encased steel structures that resemble trees.

"There is not a lot of natural environment when you think of Waikiki, so this is an attempt to go back to nature," Gilbertson said. "While we can't bring back a park, we can inspire it to be a building in what we call urban nature and try to incorporate elements that make you feel like how you do in nature."

Gilbertson's team is seeking LEED silver certification for the project's "core and shell" and is touting features such as green roofs and walls (that help cool the building naturally), bamboo, and so-called regenerative-drive elevators that can recapture or produce their own electricity as they travel between floors.

The building's centerpiece will be the rooftop Bliss Restaurant and Ultralounge, the newest venture from Honolulu developer Leighton Mau, who owns 2230 Kalakaua, Waikiki Shopping Plaza and Waikiki Business Plaza.

Gilbertson declined to disclose the project's cost or details on possible tenants for the addition, which is being built for retail, restaurants and offices.

But national beauty retailer Sephora has leased a ground-floor space at 2230 Kalakaua and expects to open by the end of the year. It will be Sephora's third Hawaii store. The first opened at Ala Moana Center in 1999 with the second at Pearlridge Center in 2007.

Future tenants that do their own buildouts will be asked to consider other sustainable design elements as well, Gilbertson said.

$700M Waikiki Project Moves Ahead

The owner of the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel is moving forward with a $700 million redevelopment project for the center of Waikiki that could start as early as mid 2011.

The project, which would be the largest redevelopment of Hawaii's main tourist district since Outrigger's $585 million Waikiki Beach Walk redevelopment, would get under way just as Disney puts the finishing touches on its $800 million Aulani resort on the other side of Oahu in the Ko Olina resort.

Kyo-ya Co. Ltd.'s plans call for redeveloping almost all of the Princess Kaiulani property on the mauka side of Kalakaua Avenue and for replacing the 58-year-old, eight-story, 140-room beachfront tower Diamond Head of the Moana Surfrider Hotel with a 282-foot tower, the first new hotel on Waikiki Beach in 30 years.

While financing such a large project may be difficult, at best, in today's market, Greg Dickhens, Kyo-ya's executive vice president and senior adviser, said the company is optimistic that "mid-next year when we're out there looking for construction financing, the market will have improved."

This aerial view of Waikiki and architect's rendering shows what the coastline will look like when Kyo-ya Co.'s planned $700 million development is complete. Construction could begin as soon as the middle of next year.

Please check out our website at www.HNLCondos.com for current, live listings of Waikiki Condos and Honolulu Condos for sale.

According to the Honolulu Newspaper, the "Honolulu Advertiser", "Years of problems and delays appear to be coming to an end with the Fishing village at Honolulu's Pier 38 soon to be fully leased."

"A decade after plans were laid to give Honolulu a seafood marketplace rivaling San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf or Seattle's Pike Place Market, the vision remains unrealized with more than half the land for the state project at Pier 38 empty."

"But now, after protracted delays that included problems with underground methane, the effort championed by former Gov. Ben Cayetano appears to be gaining traction.

Five prospective tenants, including Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant, have leased or are negotiating for all the remaining available space at the Pier 38 Domestic Commercial Fishing Village, also known as Honolulu Fishing Village.

The additions would finally produce a critical mass of activity in this central piece of Honolulu Harbor, where a few initial tenants, including two restaurants, have eked out an existence despite the relative obscurity of the still mostly industrial area.

About a dozen businesses - seafood wholesalers, retailers, suppliers and restaurants - had signed on to the project, anchored by the fish auction house that moves more than 80 percent of Hawai'i's fresh catch, United Fishing Agency.

"I think it's going to be a really, really, really busy place in the next four or five years," said Chaize of Nico's, contrasting future prospects with the past nearly five years he's been in business at Pier 38.

"It's really exciting."

For more, you may read the complete article at the "Honolulu Advertiser" website (Please Note:  many newspaper articles links are moved or expire after 30 days).

This is a great example of new developments in the Kakaako and Downtown areas of Honolulu.  These kinds of venues will not only attract tourists, but provide the kind of retail and restaurant infrastructure that can make a neighborhood a home.  You may want to learn more about the neighborhoods of Kakaako and Downtown Honolulu at our Honolulu Condos website.

Mahalo for reading.