Posted on: Wednesday, July 25, 2001

Convention district plan stalls in zoning committee

By Kapono Dowson
Advertiser Staff Writer

City planners hit a major snag yesterday when the council's Zoning Committee deferred action on a proposal that would create a special district around the Hawai'i Convention Center, evicting strip clubs, hostess bars and adult businesses from the area.

The bill to establish a Hawai'i Convention Center Special District within a half-mile radius of the convention center would change the look of the area, adding landscaping, 20-foot setbacks, shade trees and more pedestrian space.

The big concern for council members, however, was that the affected adult businesses were excluded from the planning process. Rene Mansho said she had received many calls from business owners and landlords who would be adversely affected by the zoning change.

Harry Yee, attorney for several adult business properties, said the property owners had not been included in the process, and the economic impact had not been considered.

David Jung, a landlord for adult businesses on leasehold property in the proposed district, said it would take him another 10 to 15 years to make back his investment. His tenants, according to the city proposal, would have only three years to disburse. In submitted testimony, he asked, "If my bar tenants are forced to leave, who will replace them?"

City planning director Randall Fujiki said if adult businesses were to move to other areas, the bars would no longer be found in clusters, because liquor commission regulations now prevent bars within 500 feet of each other.

In favor of the landscaping improvements, Duke Bainum said the control of adult businesses should be dealt with as a separate issue.

Fujiki responded that his department felt strongly that the issues should be kept together and that the city had used the neighborhood boards to gather public input.

Andy Mirikitani, a longtime opponent of strip clubs and hostess bars, said he was disappointed at the bill's deferral.

"This is an economic and business development issue," he said. "In addition to having the highest density of family neighborhoods on O'ahu, the Ala Moana area is Honolulu's main shopping business area which deserves special protection."

After the deferral vote passed, Fujiki said the city would look at ways to include the adult business owners in the process and answer the concerns the council raised.

"You need to look at the area as being ripe for development, positive development. Businesses could benefit from a better kind of development," he said.