Hawaii shopping center upgrade almost done

After more than two years of construction, the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center's $115 million renovation project is nearing completion in the next few months, featuring a larger grove of trees, less concrete, and as of this week, a new statue.

"We should be completed with most of the common areas at the end of the month," said general manager Marleen Akau. She expects most of the stores to fill in by the end of March, followed by "a world-class state-of-the-art live performance showroom" and a few more restaurants as well as a food court.

Akau acknowledged that the project was first slated to take 18 months and cost $84 million, but she said some delays were prompted by the hidden issues that come from renovating a building more than 25 years old.

"We helped the tenants in any way we can," Akau said. "Le Sportsac had to move three times and Island Snow four times."

If you haven't visited Waikiki recently, the main difference you'll see from Kalakaua Avenue is the green of landscaping and increased open space that soften a complex that bore a strong resemblance to the institutional architecture of the 1980s.

A bronze statue of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was dedicated yesterday as part of a celebration of the princess' 176th birthday in the historic Royal Grove.

"It is fitting that the statue is nestled in the grove's ethno-botanical gardens at Helumoa," said Dee Jay Mailer, CEO of Kamehameha Schools, "as this is where Ke Ali'i Pauahi spent her last days and wrote the final codicil to her will that provided for the establishment of Kamehameha Schools."

The statue was created by Kamehameha Schools graduate Sean Kekamakupa'a Ka'onohiokalani Lee Loy Browne and named, "Ka 'Ikena Ho'oulu a Pauahi," (The Inspired Vision of Pauahi). It depicts the princess seated on a bench reading to a little girl.

The grove provides a green space in the middle of the dense resort area. Akau said removal of the center's old glass elevators as part of the renovation helped to open up the area.

"It was more like a barrier keeping people out of the project," she said. "It's really open; a lot of the concrete disappeared."

The Royal Grove ended up adding more trees than had been in the area in years. There are now more than 210 trees, or about twice as many as before.

The work has won the support of The Outdoor Circle, which fielded complaints from nearby residents when the work prompted the removal of a number of adult palm trees.

Bob Loy, director of environmental programs for the Outdoor Circle, said the center planners and landowner Kamehameha Schools showed a commitment to preserving the trees and protecting the historic part of Waikiki known as Helumoa, a favored retreat of Hawaiian royalty.

"I think people are going to be real happy when they see the center," Loy said. "It is more inviting. It looks much better."

Loy noted that coconut palms were replaced and the landscaping enhanced from what was there before. "We're really glad about the saving of one old banyan tree," he added.

Loy said the organization is keeping an eye on a neighboring project at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

He said the organization is meeting with planners for that project but has expressed concern about a plan to remove coconut trees to build a croquet course.

Akau said she hopes residents realize that the center has restaurants and shops of interest to them. And more than 610 parking spaces, with rates of $2 for two hours or $4 for four hours.

"We are here not just for the visitors," Akau said.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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Hawaii foreclosures leveling offWhile Hawaii's foreclosure rate continues to run ahead of last year,

Nationwide, November foreclosures remained ahead of last year's pace as more consumers defaulted on loans and lenders tightened their underwriting standards, according a report by the national research firm RealtyTrac. However, monthly foreclosure numbers dropped 10 percent nationwide, the first double-digit monthly decrease seen since April, said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

"This could indicate that foreclosure activity has topped out for the year, but the true test of whether this ceiling will hold will come at the beginning of next year -- when we anticipate that a seasonal surge in foreclosure filings and another possible wave of resetting mortgages could place further pressure on the housing market," Saccacio said. "But if the trend of flat or decreasing foreclosure activity we've seen over the past three months continues in the first quarter, it would certainly bode well for 2008."

Hawaii had 113 foreclosure filings in November, RealtyTrac data indicates, or one foreclosure filing per every 4,346 households. The report showed a national rate of one foreclosure filing for every 617 U.S. households.

While Hawaii's annual foreclosure rate has continued to run ahead of last year along with the nation as a whole, foreclosures still have a limited footprint throughout the islands. And foreclosure rates here seem to be improving as activity has begun to level off.

Experts have said that continued price appreciation and strong demand for Hawaii real estate appear to have insulated the Aloha state from developing the foreclosure driving market conditions that many mainland markets are experiencing.

Hawaii ranked 44th out of the 50 states surveyed, down from 43rd in October. The state's foreclosure rate dropped 13.74 percent from October but rose 52.7 percent from the same month in 2006. Nationally, foreclosures were down 10 percent from the previous month and up 67.82 percent year-over-year, according to RealtyTrac.

"The areas where we are seeing less foreclosure activity and lower foreclosure rates are places where the supply of real estate has not outstripped the demand, said Daren Blomquist, marketing communications manager for RealtyTrac. "In some of the areas where we are seeing spiking foreclosure rates, a huge glut of homes has been built," Blomquist said.

Nevada, Florida and Ohio posted the top foreclosure rates. California, Florida and Ohio reported the highest foreclosure totals.

"In somewhere like Hawaii, there might be a lot of building going on in certain areas but demand is able to support it," Blomquist said. "You are not seeing people ending up with properties that they can't sell. And that makes a difference if they get into trouble."

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source: /starbulletin.com

Double Your Fun: Big Island Considering Another Planning Commission

According to this story in the West Hawaii Times (free registration may be required), the County of Hawaii is considering amending its Charter to form another Planning Commission, and splitting jurisdiction between a Leeward commission and a Windward commission.

No one has challenged the validity under state law of a county having more than a single planning commission (even though Maui County for some time has has three -- one for each populated island within the county), and state law can be read to require that each county have a single commission.

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source: inversecondemnation.com

Group reminded there’s only ’one Maui’

LAHAINA – An almost evenly divided crowd filled the Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria Tuesday night to discuss Council Member Jo Anne Johnson’s proposed temporary moratorium on developing agricultural lands in West Maui.

No consensus was reached, and it remains unclear when and if the County Council will take up the measure. But almost half of the crowd of about 100 people had their chance to be heard.

The bill would halt new development until the county finishes revising its General Plan, which is on a two-year timetable for final action.

The moratorium also would remain in place until county leaders can implement traffic impact fees for developers and individual builders to help defray costs for roadways that must accompany all the new people making West Maui their home.

Johnson and Council Member Gladys Baisa, who chairs the Planning Committee, said Tuesday was an excellent opportunity for the committee to get out of the Council Chambers in Wailuku and get to where the people live who are most affected by potential legislation.

But the moratorium’s discussions are nascent, Baisa said.

“There was no real discussion of anything by us,” she said. “We all agree it’s too premature, and the ordinance needs a lot of work if we are going to pass it.”

She said her “very preliminary thoughts” on the subject were to work through concerns about overdevelopment on a case-by-case basis, rather than implement a moratorium that takes any discretion away from leadership.

“We need to take a breath and evaluate development on the whole island, but especially in West Maui,” said Steve Carty of the Save Honolua Coalition.

Mae Fujiwara, president of the Lahaina-Honolua Senior Citizens Club, disagreed.

“The moratorium will spell the death of many well-planned housing developments,” said Fujiwara, whose opinion was shared by many older folks worried about whether their children and grandchildren will be able to afford to live on Maui.

Developer Steven Gatchell called it unfair since the moratorium doesn’t include hotels and time shares, which continue to proliferate.

“We have only one Maui and some things are getting really screwed up,” said Kahu David Kapaku. “The word development doesn’t sound like it’s improving anything.”

The council members did declare Tuesday’s meeting a success, since they were able to eliminate some misconceptions about the bill. Johnson has said its intention is to slow down development that is outpacing the creation of infrastructure in West Maui, including roads, drainage systems and water systems.

Johnson explained that her bill would not prevent homeowners from remodeling or repairing existing homes. It would also exempt already approved projects and those intended for the public purposes, such as a hospital, police station or school. It would not preclude 100 percent affordable housing from being built, she said.

Other exemptions include residential developments by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and construction by the county, state and federal governments.

From among the 53 people signed up to speak, some issues for those against the moratorium included:

Landowners were upset that the moratorium would prevent them from letting their children build homes on property they’ve owned for years with those plans in mind or make a profit on selling land they’ve hung onto for years.

It would have the residual affect of limiting affordable housing, since the county’s Residential Workforce Housing Policy requires all new development to also provide up to 50 percent low- and moderate-income homes.

Most of the agricultural land is unsuitable for farming and is overgrown with weeds or sitting barren.

Concerns raised by those supporting a moratorium included:

Development is out of control now and luxury homes associated with urban sprawl have seeped into agricultural lots within West Maui’s wildernesses.

There’s too much traffic already.

The moratorium could last several years and would apply to lands within the West Maui Community Plan District, which stretches from Ukumehame to Kahakuloa.

Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.

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source: mauinews.com/

Maalaea project’s EIS ready for review

AALAEA – The developers of a proposed 949-unit residential community at Maalaea have submitted their draft environmental impact study for public comment.

The $400 million Maalaea Mauka would cover 257 acres of former sugar cane land classified by the state and county as agricultural.

The project would be mix of single- and multifamily homes, townhouses, rental apartments and affordable housing for seniors. Maalaea Mauka would also include park land and a community center, according to the document issued Dec. 8.

The developers have said it will be an unpretentious, ungated, low-density community on what is now pasture land.

It also would be accessed to the south by Honoapiilani and Kuihelani highways, an intersection that critics said is already too frequently jammed up with traffic.

The development has its share of critics.

Rob Riebling, past president of the Maalaea Community Association, said they passed a resolution in November 2006 against the project. Traffic was the association’s No. 1 concern. The association also questioned the distance from where people work and the impact of the massive new urban project on their sleepy seaside community, he said.

Former Mayor Alan Arakawa also spoke out publicly against the Maalaea development, Riebling said. Arakawa wanted to wait until the county’s General Plan, island plan and community plans were completed in the next couple of years before making a decision on Maalaea, he said.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares said Wednesday that she would not have a comment on the proposal until she consults with Planning Director Jeff Hunt.

The public has until Jan. 22 to comment on the 3-inch-thick draft EIS, which is available to view at local public libraries.

Comments should be sent to Munekiyo & Hiraga, Inc., 305 High St., Suite 104 Wailuku, HI 96793 as well as to the state Land Use Commission at P.O. Box 2359 Honolulu, HI 96804.

Project Manager Mark Alexander Roy of Munekiyo & Hiraga said that there are a number of steps that must take place before the project can come to fruition.

The consultants will need to address any valid concerns raised by the public on the draft EIS, before preparing and presenting a final EIS to the Land Use Commission. The commission will hold a public meeting before voting on whether to accept the document – which is an initial step in the process of reviewing the application to reclassify the land.

Maalaea Properties is asking that the land be reclassified from agriculture to urban, said Roy.

The Maalaea Mauka project district is designated in the 1998 Kihei-Makena Community Plan, but will require county zoning approval. The Maui Planning Commission and County Council would need to approve the zoning.

The developers said they’ve addressed concerns raised about infrastructure. They plan to dig two to three wells that would completely sustain the development, according to the EIS. Maalaea Properties would also construct their own wastewater treatment plant, according to the EIS.

Over the past several years, Maalaea Properties has bought up hundreds of acres south of Wailuku. Its properties include the Maui Tropical Plantation and King Kamehameha Golf Course.

Maalaea Properties partner and spokesman Steven Kikuchi could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Kikuchi and the rest of his partners are experienced builders in California.

Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.

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source: mauinews.com