|
|||
 |
|||
The stakes involved in the state's latest effort to develop its oceanfront land next to Kewalo Basin in Kaka'ako are unimaginably high.
This parcel of land, already being partially built up with a major waterfront park and the burgeoning University of Hawai'i Medical School and related facilities, is unquestionably the crown jewel of development opportunities for urban Honolulu.
And if it's not done right, it will be an opportunity lost for generations to come.
There have been any number of false starts for the area and a creeping incremental development pattern that threatened the potential for a master-planned effort that would be a signature statement for Honolulu and for the world.
Now, the Hawai'i Community Development Authority has tentatively selected the latest master developer for the parcel and surrounding lands at the Kewalo Basin Marina.
Out of many well-qualified applicants, the authority selected a consortium led by the venerable A&B Properties Inc.
EXCITING POSSIBILITIES
The A&B proposal, which will be negotiated in detail over the next four months, offers exciting possibilities.
It includes, with some controversy, substantial condominium housing. The controversy stems from the idea that original plans for this oceanfront "gateway" to Honolulu focused on broad public use, not housing.
But the authority concluded the only way to make the project pencil out was to integrate a housing element. Much of that housing will obviously be high-end units, valued for their prime oceanfront location close to downtown Ho-nolulu.
There will also be a requirement for a substantial percentage of "affordable" housing, in part to satisfy longstanding principals of the Kaka'ako development effort and in part to ensure that this becomes a vibrant "urban village" with a full complement of residents.
Another key element would be 10 acres on the oceanfront devoted to public use — in this case, a performing arts cultural center and amphitheater focused on hula and other multicultural arts.
The A&B proposal specifically rejects a built or architectural "iconic" element for the spot similar in philosophy to the Sydney Opera House as an inappropriate statement of "building over nature."
The iconic statement, instead, would be a facility devoted to, and honoring, the host culture (and those that followed) and a "celebration" of nature.
The plan also calls for another 10 acres to be devoted to dining, entertainment and retail facilities, including a "signature" restaurant on the water's edge makai of the John Dominis Restaurant.
The goal is a profitable mix of shopping and dining, a considerable amount of housing and a new "island-style" public gathering and entertainment facility at the water's edge.
CRITICAL DETAILS
But there are many crucial details to be worked out over the next four months. They include:
And will the public facilities, the oceanfront walkways, the landscaped "gathering places" and the public oceanfront entertainment facilities come along in pace with the more commercial elements? They should. These are not amenities that can be built once profits are realized — they are the very heart of what should happen here.
"Iconic" is an easy word to use, but will the oceanfront cultural facility truly be something that puts itself on the local and international map? The developers hope that the facility will become "world famous."
That's an admirable goal. But to do that requires more than building another hula venue, no matter how attractive.
The Kaka'ako project is a chance to seize the imagination and serve the needs of Honolulu residents today and for years to come. It is now up to the development authority to see that happens.
