Neighborhood board
votes to oppose
Kewalo project

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

It was the proposed 125-foot Ferris wheel that persuaded the Ala Moana/Kakaako Neighborhood Board to take a stand against D.G. "Andy" Anderson's development plan for Kewalo Basin shoreline.

The board voted 5-1 last night to oppose the $138 million project approved by the Hawaii Community Development Authority earlier this month. The board objects "because the project requires a variance," according to the motion passed by the board.

The Ferris wheel and a 42-foot tower to be used for laser-light displays are features that exceed the development authority's 45-foot limit on construction, said Jan Yokota, executive director of the authority.

Yokota said Kewalo Project Development Ltd., headed by Anderson, will need to apply for a variance for those high-rise aspects. The project also includes restaurants, shops, art galleries, a miniature golf course and a concert shell for outdoor entertainment.

A public hearing on a variance application would be the first chance the public will get to comment on the 10-acre Kewalo Pointe project, she said.

The process of selecting Anderson's firm didn't involve any public input, and that's what the 150-member Kakaako Improvement Association objects to, said President Bev Harbin. "It's state land, it's our land, we have a right to our say," Harbin said.

The organization of Kakaako businesses, which she said "was formed as a watchdog over the HCDA," has not taken a stand on Kewalo Pointe. But it is drafting a letter to Gov. Ben Cayetano asking why the state backs a project that concentrates on retail development, which will compete with Aloha Tower Marketplace, also developed on state land.

The prospect of creating jobs was cited in the authority's decision to approve the Kewalo Pointe project. Harbin said the business group questions why, if jobs were the overriding interest, didn't the development authority select the other bidder, who would have developed all five available state parcels.

Kakaako resident Web Nolan said the waterfront park is widely used by local residents. "You see baby luaus, you see hula lessons. This is going to drive people out."

"I like it the way it is," said neighborhood board member Margaret Shoemaker.