State mulls
2 proposals for
Kakaako development

Plans call for a market
or entertainment park

By Jerry Tune
Star-Bulletin

The state plans to decide Aug. 4 whether 18 acres next to the Kewalo waterfront should be developed in a Disneyland-like entertainment theme with a Ferris wheel or as a farmer's and fish market with an environmental information center.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency in charge of Kakaako redevelopment, yesterday heard the final proposals from D.G. "Andy" Anderson, owner of the nearby John Dominis restaurant on Ahui Street, and Darryl Wong, president of Imperial Associates.

No cost figures or financing details were presented.

Anderson, head of Kewalo Project Development Ltd., talked about going to Disneyland and seeing how the entertainment worked.

His proposal calls for a Ferris wheel, laser-light tower, a 60-foot-wide carousel, an interactive water feature and a miniature golf course.

"This project is heavy on recreation," Anderson said. "We didn't want another shopping center with multiplex theaters."

The project includes 150,000 square feet of recreation and activity space, 400,000 square feet of building area and 1,170 partially underground parking stalls.

Anderson's project is heavy on restaurants at all price levels and small shops.

However, he would need a variance from the authority to construct the 125-foot-high Ferris wheel from Holland and the 42-foot-high tower for a laser light show.

Wong's approach, Kewalo Waterfront Village, is modeled after Pike's fish market in Seattle and the Granville Island food and arts marketplace in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Wong and his father, developer James Wong, see the rapid growth of public markets on the mainland as a way to create many jobs in Hawaii. Farmers could sell produce at the market and avoid using a middleman, offering lower prices. Local artisans also would be part of the retail experience, along with restaurants.

Architect Hugh A. Boyd said farmer's markets have increased from 500 to 3,000 on the mainland.

He said Pike's market -- where coffee company Starbucks Corp. got its start -- has annual sales of more than $1,000 a square foot and sales by food merchants at Granville Island top $1,200 a square foot.

The Kewalo Waterfront Village would maintain the industrial maritime architecture, allow the boat yards to remain and also include an environmental center to present visitors with photographic introductions to rain forests, mountain and ocean experiences in Hawaii.

The overall plan calls for 433,000 square feet of building area and 1,750 parking stalls.

The HCDA can either choose one of the plans on Aug.4 or reject both and start over.