Residents want
more parking at
Koko Marina

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board wants Koko Marina Shopping Center at Kalanianaole Highway and Lunalilo Home Road to provide enough parking at the center to keep employees from parking on nearby streets.

The board voted 11-1 with one abstention to ask managing agents of the shopping center to guarantee adequate parking spaces for employees, customers and surrounding residents and have no center parking spill onto streets.

It also asked Leah Young, Koko Marina Shopping Center general manager, and Miles Kamimura, president of Colliers Monroe Friedlander, to appear again at the September board meeting to discuss progress.

After appearing before the board last night, Kamimura said there are 874 parking stalls at the center.

"We believe it's enough," he said, adding that he doesn't see a problem.

Earlier, after Young introduced Kamimura to the board, he said, "The owners of the property are business people. Their success is depending on the success of the merchants."

That means the center needs customers, he said. New theaters are going in, and plans are under way to put new tenants where the old theaters were, Kamimura said.

At any given time during business hours, there may be 200 to 300 available parking spaces, Kamimura said.

"We feel that if people are coming to the theaters, it will be the wild card, if you will, to determine how parking will turn out," Kamimura said. "I believe the dinner hours are probably going to be the worst because of the restaurants."

Neighborhood board Chairman Charlie Rodgers had a recommendation.

"I would say build a high-rise parking structure," Rodgers said.

Member Bob Speck asked how many seats are set for the new theater complex.

The answer was 1,200. If two or three theatergoers arrive in each car, Speck told Kamimura, "You've got a problem."

Kamimura, in reply to another question, said the center has roughly 250 registered employees.

"Obviously, they're not all there at once," he said.

"I don't think you've made a case today in terms of what the demand is going to be," board member Robert Clark told him.

Kamimura was asked if the center meets square-footage parking requirements under the law.

"We meet the code," he said.