Critics respect sensitive developer

Stan Kuriyama sought and heard concerns with A&B plans for Kakaako

When Alexander & Baldwin Inc. was selected by state officials to redevelop the Kakaako waterfront into a mixed-use "urban village," it would have been easy for the company to simply go through the motions of hearing the public's views.

Through the end of the year, the Star-Bulletin will recognize 10 who changed Hawaii this year. Some were controversial, others shunned the spotlight. But all made a difference.

Instead, the company's real-estate arm, A&B Properties Inc., embarked on a 10-week effort, fielding phone calls, e-mails and questions from folks at town hall meetings.

Ushering the effort was Stan Kuriyama, president and chief executive of A&B Properties, who has demonstrated soft skills that could serve as a case study for a B-school course on external corporate relations.

It has been more than window dressing.

After listening to surfers and sailors worried about access to the ocean and others concerned about developing oceanfront park space in Honolulu, A&B significantly scaled back its proposal.

It axed plans for a pedestrian bridge across Kewalo Basin harbor, jettisoned proposed development on the waterfront and added more parking for surfers. The company also cut by one-third the space it plans to devote to condominiums. Instead of the three condo towers it originally proposed, A&B now has proposed two.

The revision has disarmed many critics. At a meeting of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency responsible for overseeing the development, one concerned citizen who had been prepared to criticize A&B left the meeting praising the company.

"They're a great company; this is amazing," she said.

What is perhaps most amazing is that Kuriyama was candid about the revised proposal's limitations, saying the revisions would not address concerns of people philosophically opposed to using state land for condominiums.

"These are policy issues that state government and our elected officials have the right to address," he said.