Kmart unveils design plans
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
In another step toward building a Super Kmart Center in Honolulu's urban core, Kmart representatives presented design plans for the project at a public hearing yesterday.
MC Architects rendering
The single-story store, to be open 24 hours a day with a full grocery section, would vary in height from 25 to 40 feet, contain 186,000 square feet of shopping area, provide about 700 parking stalls on the ground and offer street-front seating for accompanying Starbucks and Jamba Juice stores.
This is an artist's rendering of the proposed Super Kmart Center for the much-coveted superblock, viewed from Ke'eaumoku and Rycroft streets. The retailer wants the store to blend in with the neighborhood.
A local traffic consultant for Kmart is suggesting a traffic signal be installed at Kanunu and Ke'eaumoku streets, where a store entryway would create a four-way intersection.
Other proposed street modifications include removing on-street parking along Ke'eaumoku in front of the planned store to make room for new turning lanes, widening Rycroft Street to accommodate a left-turn lane, and realigning the Makaloa and Sheridan intersection.
The consultant made projections of traffic entering the store that peak at 350 vehicles an hour during the morning, 750 vehicles an hour in the evening and 960 vehicles an hour on Saturday at midday.
No one from the public testified at yesterday's hearing.
Two submittals of written testimony raised questions about traffic that were addressed by the traffic consultant.
Steve Marlette, president of project designer MC Architects Inc. of Honolulu, said the store was designed to fit in with the neighborhood.
The big-box is disguised to look like three connected buildings with peaked, tile roof accents. Shrubbery plus monkeypod, shower and coconut trees will surround the store.
Additionally, the sidewalk along Ke'eaumoku will be transformed into a 20-foot-wide meandering walkway with landscaping. And the loading docks along Makaloa will be fully screened by walls and landscaping.
The Kmart project is about half the size of an earlier plan by Wal-Mart Inc., which proposed stacking a 150,000-square-foot Sam's Club on top of an equal sized Wal-Mart adjacent to a six-story parking structure. Wal-Mart abandoned its plan last year because of issues of financial return on the investment.
Kmart's estimated $50 million project remains uncertain because the retailer is in the early stages of devising a reorganization plan after filing for bankruptcy two weeks ago.
Local developer Duncan MacNaughton, who is developing the project for Kmart, said he is confident the retailer will be able to get its business in order and proceed with the new store.
MacNaughton said Kmart will demonstrate whether it can proceed as early as March or as late as May. If the project goes forward, the store could be open as early as November, but more likely in the first quarter of next year, he said.
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
