... and a potential waterfront masterpiece

Hawaiian land deals: chance for greatness ...

It’s hard not to catch some of the excitement as high-tech plans for waterfront Kaka‘ako.

The latest was the preliminary approval granted last week by the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority for two technology-related projects near Kewalo Basin.

The first is the proposed relocation of the University of Hawai‘i School of Medicine into a new biomedical research center. The other is a lease arrangement so that the rapidly expanded high-tech company Adtech Inc. can build a new headquarters, production and research center.

These two projects, although not directly related, could become the centerpiece of a long-envisioned high-tech community in Kaka‘ako. They would also complement other plans for the area, including a signature waterfront aquarium, a new Bishop Museum science center and other attractions.

All of these projects have merit. But as planning for them moves forward, the state must not lose sight of an important goal: The eventual whole of all these projects must add up to more than the sum of their parts.

That is, the components of this waterfront jewel must be seen as part of one grand statement — a masterpiece of design that will instantly become a worldwide symbol of Honolulu’s rebirth.

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