KCC culinary school
to be built
at Diamond Head

The facility is planned for the site
of the former U.S. Army Cannon Club

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By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

The former U.S. Army Cannon Club at the foot of Diamond Head will become the home of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific under a proposal expected to be approved this morning by the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

The university plans to tear down the old Cannon Club buildings and replace them with a new structure. The new building will allow Kapiolani Community College's current two-year culinary program to expand into a four-year program. The new facility may also incorporate a restaurant. The state Department of Land & Natural Resources will lease the site to KCC for $1 a year for 65 years and a payment of $440,000 within the next five years.

Additional funds are needed from the Legislature to begin planning the new facility, and construction costs could range from $15 million to $25 million, said KCC Provost John Morton.

"We need some expertise to help us figure out exactly what it would cost to build," Morton said.

The state House has approved $150,000 for planning, and the budget item is now before the Senate. The new building must retain the footprint of the old Cannon Club because it falls under the Diamond Head Monument Master Plan, Morton said.

The Cannon Club site has a panoramic view of the ocean from the slopes of Diamond Head.

"There's a lot of aloha within the community for that site," Morton said.

KCC's proposed use had to be approved by DLNR and the citizens advisory group that protects Diamond Head.

"Their concern is that 30 years from now, if it were outside of DLNR's control and, therefore, outside the monument's control, development could occur that is not appropriate in their view," Morton said. "To maintain that protection ... the citizens advisory group proposed the DLNR agree to the lease approach."

At the board's Committee on Finance and Facilities meeting yesterday, regents unanimously approved the proposal. However, regent Patricia Lee suggested the university again attempt to obtain the fee on the property, saying "that there would be respect in perpetuity for this monument."

The university is actively seeking sources of funds to build the project, including private partners or donors, the Army and UH revenue bonds.

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Kapiolani Community College