YMCA weighs move

The Central Branch might be relocated to McKinley High School

YMCA officials are hoping to close the nonprofit's Central Branch, which could possibly eliminate more than 100 low-cost rental units, to open a new branch at McKinley High School.

The plan, however, is still preliminary, and no agreements have been made, officials on both sides say.

"The reason we would consider moving is because it's not feasible any longer to renovate" the current building, said Larry Bush, YMCA of Honolulu's president and chief executive officer. He said it is more cost-effective to build a new facility than remodel the old one.

Janna Mihara, facilities planner at the Department of Education, said the state is working on a master plan to renovate McKinley High School's athletic facilities which could include partnerships with private groups to generate income for maintaining facilities that could benefit other schools as well.

"They (YMCA) have been identified as a possibility," she said. "Whether we can get all of the people that we need to make it a reality is a big question."

Closure of the Central Branch would leave two YMCA branches on Oahu that offer low-cost residential units: Atherton Branch near the University of Hawaii and the Nuuanu Branch on Pali Highway.

With 114 rooms, Central Branch has the most units, and residents there pay as little as $37 a day. The other two branches have 149 rooms combined.

Tenants at Central Branch are mostly tourists, said Bush, adding that he did not know if a branch at McKinley would house residents.

"Typically we've done housing because we were sitting in a transient type of neighborhood or environment," he said. "I'm not sure there's a need there (at McKinley). Someone would have to really assess that."

Central YMCA, located across from Ala Moana Center on Atkinson Drive, is also a health center, offering a gym, swimming pool, heart health center, fitness center and exercise classes.

A YMCA at McKinley would make it the only branch on Oahu on state land. YMCA owns the land under eight other branches on Oahu, not including the Kaimuki branch, which leases from Kamehameha Schools.

Bush said the Atkinson land would be sold.

There has been no recent assessment of the land under Central branch -- approximately 1.77 acres, according to city records -- to determine its value. However, five years ago, when the YMCA tried to sell the land, with a contingency that the buyer also build a new branch there, it was valued at between $11 million and $15 million, Bush said.

Bush estimates it will cost $8 million to refurbish the five-story, 57-year-old building at the Central location. By comparison, YMCA recently completed its Leeward branch for about $14 million.

Late last year, YMCA officials approached McKinley School after learning about its renovation plans.

"I've always been interested in that site ... given the fact that most of our members are from that demographic area," Bush said. "To be that close to both that much new housing and that many students, it would be an ideal place for a YMCA."

Charles Kaneshiro, principal at Group 70 International, the master planner for the McKinley project, said it is still too early to tell what the facilities or structures would be at McKinley. The master plan should be finished by the end of the year, with another year before construction can begin, he said.

"It's a potentially very exciting project," Kaneshiro said. "If you drive around, there's just no open parks (in that area). This project potentially has that opportunity to provide a huge benefit to the community."