Wailuku dwellers to
By Gary T. Kubota
share revitalizing ideas
Star-BulletinWAILUKU -- David Johnston enjoys teaching acting classes, eating at a variety of restaurants and conducting personal business at government buildings and his bank -- all within walking distance in Wailuku.
"I park my car in the municipal lot at 10 in the morning, and I don't move until 10 at night," says Johnston, artistic director for the Maui Academy of Performing Arts.
Along Main Street, residents are finding Wailuku more attractive as a place for business and entertainment.
Several projects are in various stages of development in former vacant buildings, and there appears to be growing interest in rejuvenating the town that was once Maui's hub of commerce.
The Maui Redevelopment Agency is holding a meeting Saturday focusing on economic revitalization of the town.
The planning workshop, which costs $7 a person, takes place from 7:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the former National Dollar Store building.
Planning Director John Min said the meeting will be an opportunity for new and prospective tenants to share ideas.
Min said he hopes people will discuss what they want to see in the town and develop a plan, including a list of priorities.
Three new restaurants have opened within the year, and a fourth restaurant is planning to double its size.
Meanwhile, a Wailuku corporation is in the process of buying a former dry-goods building and plans to convert it to office and retail space.
Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana also has announced his support for developing a multitier parking lot at the municipal parking lot site in town.
Construction has begun on a performing arts center in the old National Dollar Store building, and a modern-arts museum in another building that used to house the Valley Isle Ford dealership.
"I think we're seeing a trend toward culture and arts coming back into Wailuku," said Grant Howe, chairman of the Maui Redevelopment Agency.
Moses Kaplan, one of those planning the development of the Maui Metropolitan Museum, said he likes his site.
"It (the Valley Isle Ford building) is a wonderful old building. The place looks like a Soho loft," said. "It has great potential as a museum because of its spaciousness."
Wailuku served as a center of Maui commerce in the early 1900s, with several hotels and theaters operating in the town.
But its activity began to decline with the development of shopping centers in Kahului in the 1950s and 1960s.
Wailuku businessman Lloyd Kimura said he and another investor recently decided to purchase a building in Wailuku, in light of Apana's commitment to help redevelop the town.
Kimura said prices have also become more competitive: about $20 a square foot.
"I think with prices being more reasonable, we're willing to take a chance on Wailuku," said Kimura, a certified public accountant. "Wailuku can't be Lahaina, but I'm sure we can find our niche."
