The University of Hawaii will have exclusive rights for six months to negotiate for a 5-acre Kakaako site for a new Cancer Research Center and outpatient clinic. Kakaako may get
new cancer centerUH wins the right to negotiate for a parcel
near what will be the medical schoolBy Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.comThe Hawaii Community Development Authority, which is responsible for the Kakaako development district, approved the exclusive negotiation period last month, said Jan Yokota, executive director. It will begin after documents concerning the negotiations are signed, she said.
The site is between Kewalo Basin and Honolulu Harbor, ewa of the 10 acres where the new John A. Burns School of Medicine is being constructed. It is currently used on a month-to-month basis by the Foreign Trade Zone, Yokota said.
"I think the authority looked at it as having good synergy with the medical school being there," she said.
"The bottom line is, we're looking at building a nucleus of biotechnical research and activities around the medical school site. We're looking at whatever uses would come from the medical school and would help to build that nucleus."
The Cancer Research Center wants to develop an outpatient facility to offer residents new medical treatments in clinical trials.
Undeveloped Board of Water Supply property across the street from the current Cancer Research Center at 1236 Lauhala St. is another possibility for its expansion.
But the water board has not formally invited UH to negotiate for the site, said Carl-Wilhelm Vogel, Cancer Center director.
"If we go to Kakaako, we probably wouldn't keep the present building," he said. But it could be retained and connected by a bridge to the Board of Water Supply site, he said.
"From a patients' perspective, the Board of Water Supply site might be easier. The hospitals are closer, but if you look at the long-term development of Kakaako, not only makai but mauka, it probably will be more of a medical presence."
Vogel said the six-month negotiation period for Kakaako will be used to build firm hospital partnerships that would affect the site decision.
"Various opinions and sensitivities need to be taken into consideration. I think both sites would work, depending on financing and who the partners would be."
UH, Cancer Center and hospital officials plan within a few weeks to visit outpatient facilities built recently in various mainland Cancer Research Centers, Vogel said.
"What I have in mind is nothing I dreamt up. It's what all major centers in all major states that have cancer centers have been building or have in process across the country."
Patients would not need to go to the mainland for care if they had a "first-rate cancer center" here with outpatient services, he said.
"My vision is to have this as a magnet for patients to come here for patient care."
Cancer patients will double in Hawaii by 2030, "even more than the nation as a whole because of demographics of our society," Vogel said, referring to Hawaii's aging population.
David Morihara, UH government relations director, said both the Kakaako and Board of Water Supply sites have "little pluses and minuses," and "we're working on keeping our alternatives open. ... It's a decision we want to leave up to the partnership."
He said discussions are going on with Queen's, Kapiolani, Kuakini and St. Francis medical centers because they are doing major cancer work and the Cancer Research Center has affiliations with them for educational purposes.
They are gathering information about new facilities on the mainland and getting together to see what services could be included here in a Cancer Research Center clinic, he said.
"We're talking about being able to provide more advanced levels of cancer care in the state. Hopefully, some of the protocols people have to travel to UCLA for, we could do here."
A reputation for state-of-the-art treatment in Hawaii could attract people from all over the Pacific and Asia, Morikawa said.
He said it is hoped to make the research center and outpatient facility a private-public venture including some capital investments and noncash contributions, as well as federal funds and possibly bond issues.
Some proposals will be made to the Legislature to help get independent financing, he said. "There are a lot of pieces to be put together, but people are very supportive of the concept."
University of Hawaii
