Posted on: Tuesday, August 7, 2001

Editorial
Still a chance to do it right in Kaka'ako

Most of the recent discussion surrounding the development future for Kaka'ako-makai has carried a rather negative tone.

First was word that the network testing company Adtech has called off plans — at least temporarily — for a major high-tech facility in Kaka'ako. Then new UH President Evan Dobelle said he is rethinking plans to put a new campus of the UH medical school in the area.

The medical school, in turn, was expected to ignite the growth of biomedical and biotech research and development companies in the area — a downtown, oceanside research park, if you will.

Earlier, it became apparent that Gov. Ben Cayetano's proposal for a signature ocean science center was dead in the water and a proposal for a retail and restaurant complex featuring a giant ferris wheel was firmly rejected.

Even the Bishop Museum's plan for a $35 million science museum has yet to break ground, although the museum's board has approved the development plan.

What we are left with at this point, then, is a fairly modest Children's Discovery Center, which is complete, a handsome 36-acre landscaped waterfront park, which is in place, and a huge amount of potential.

And it is the potential, more than anything else, that remains Kaka'ako's most valuable asset.

We have said it so often now that it is starting to sound like a cliche, but it bears repeating again: the 200-or-so acres of harborfront land that make up Kaka'ako-makai represent the crown jewel of public lands in urban Honolulu. They represent an opportunity that cannot — must not — be lost or frittered away.

For too long, Honolulu ignored the fabulous asset that was its urban waterfront. Aloha Tower was surrounded by concrete overpasses and warehouses. Farther down, oceanfront land was used as a dump and for government base yards.

We now know what an opportunity we have in Kaka'ako-makai. There is an opportunity to make a statement, not just for Honolulu but for the world. Honolulu should take its place among the great Pacific harbor cities: Sydney, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Vancouver.

In our disappointment that some projects planned for the area have faltered or died, we must not rush into getting something — anything — built in this prime spot. This temporary setback should be seen not as a disappointment, but as an opportunity to step back, take a deep breath and do this one right.