EAST HONOLULU DEVELOPMENT
'Aina Haina to get 'sneak peak' at shopping center changes
By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
'Aina Haina residents will have to wait at least another month to get details on the multimillion-dollar redevelopment of their neighborhood shopping center.
But at a community meeting tomorrow, representatives from the California-based real estate investment company that bought the center in June 2007 will give residents a sneak peak of their vision for the complex, while trying to reassure them the makeover won't change the character of the area.
"I think the center is out of date. I think it needs to be renovated," said Marvin Lotz, president of American Commercial Equities LLC, after flying in today from California. "We want to restore this center to the prominence it once enjoyed. But we're not coming in and changing the environment."
Lotz said residents should expect to see redevelopment plans for the complex in one to two months.
So far, the biggest changes at the 58-year-old Aina Haina Shopping Center have been the loss of longtime businesses, including Komokata Restaurant, which was at the center for 27 years, Akamai Music & Enrichment, and Ryan's Sportsworld.
Those moves were largely spurred by increased rents, which residents and shoppers fear could also drive out other businesses.
In addition, two other popular tenants have been told their leases won't be renewed — the Aina Haina 76 service station will move out in early 2009, while Chuck E. Cheese's pizza eatery and entertainment center will close at the shopping complex in December.
Wayson Chow, president of the 'Aina Haina Community Association, said the shopping center has a small-town character and look that should be preserved.
"A lot of residents consider the businesses family," Chow said, adding that he has been working for months to set up a meeting with company officials. "The 'Aina Haina community got very concerned when businesses started shutting their doors. We're all in the dark" about the future of the shopping center.
Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.