Majority of Kapolei Commons’ space filled
More than 80 percent of the space in the 605,000-square-foot Kapolei Commons open-air mall in West Oahu is in active negotiation and several more formal announcements regarding retail, food and beverage and entertainment stores will soon be forthcoming, the developers said yesterday.
Jeffrey G. Arce, chief financial officer for the MacNaughton Group, which is partnering with the Kobayashi Group to build the lifestyle center, gave attendees of the annual West Oahu Conference a preview of the upcoming project.
Earlier in the year, Target revealed plans to build its first Hawaii store in Kapolei Commons, and yesterday the developers announced that they had signed a letter of intent with Regal Entertainment Group, which plans to open a 15-screen movie theater complex in Fall 2009.
The site plan that Arce presented yesterday carved out additional space in the center -- which will become Oahu's second largest open air mall after Ala Moana Center --- for Sports Authority, Circuit City, Border's Books and Music and a flagship Bank of Hawaii branch. PacSun, Ann Taylor, Coach, and Hollister Co. were also labeled.
In addition, Arce said that developers are actively negotiating with Zales and Office Max. Along with the movie complex, Kapolei Commons will offer shoppers more than 100 retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues, he said.
"We are also in discussions with California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang's, Dave & Buster's, Wahoo's Fish Taco, Kua Aina Sandwich and Yard House," Arce said, adding that food options at the center will range from higher-end establishments to moderate sit-down chain restaurants, fast food and sidewalk cafes.
Leasing for the center will include a mix of big-box retailers, name-brand national chain retailers and local tenants, he said.
"We want a mix that includes local tenants as well -- that's important in Hawaii," Arce said. "We want Kapolei Commons to be a lifestyle center where people can go to shop, have lunch, see a movie and be able to do all the things that they once would have had to go into town for."
MacNaughton Group and Kobayashi Group, developers of Kapolei Commons, are set to begin site work on the MK Kapolei Commons LLC project this month. The first phase of the mall is expected to open in spring of 2009, with the second phase and movie theater opening that autumn.