Aquarium plan emerges

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

An international aquarium development firm is proposing to build a multimillion-dollar, world-class aquarium on the Kaka'ako waterfront as part of a privately financed marine research complex.

KUD International, a developer of aquariums from California to London, is proposing the $200 million to $250 million facility to replace the Waikiki Aquarium, provide the University of Hawai'i with an expanded marine mammal lab, and create marine research facilities for the university and other users.

Yesterday, the California-based affiliate of Japan's Kajima Corp. entered into a one-year exclusive negotiation period with the state to lease 10.4 acres at the edge of Kaka'ako Waterfront Park for the project.

The proposal resurrects the idea of establishing a world-class aquarium at Kaka'ako and, if realized, would end more than a decade of efforts to establish such a facility in the area as an anchor to attract visitors, residents and a mix of retail stores and restaurants to the underused waterfront area.

KUD, which has previously explored a publicly financed aquarium plan for Kaka'ako, said it has lined up support for its proposal from Gov. Ben Cayetano; medical school Dean Edwin Cadman; Kewalo Marine Laboratory director Michael Hadfield; and Peter Englert, chancellor of the university, which operates the Waikiki Aquarium.

"What we're trying to do is take an attraction, integrate research and create a very special place for people to go," said Marvin Suomi, president and chief executive officer of KUD. "This is what has been the vision and the dream — that ultimately we would see research that could be done at an incubator here, and that, ultimately, would create jobs and companies."

Suomi, whose firm has developed several aquariums including the London Aquarium and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., said the proposed extent of combining marine research with an aquarium in Hawai'i would be without rival.

"It is our intent that the complex would set Hawai'i apart as the premier marine research and development center," he said.

The site it has chosen in Kaka'ako was formerly considered for a Bishop Museum science learning center, and would not restrict public access to Point Panic and Kewalo Basin surf spots.

Still, challenges remain, including obtaining financing, undertaking a feasibility study, agreeing on lease terms, attracting tenants and selecting an operator.

KUD proposes building a complex with about 250,000 square feet of research buildings and a 150,000-square-foot aquarium that could be expanded by another 40,000 to 45,000 square feet for new elements after eight or 10 years.

In addition to the university's marine mammal lab, potential tenants include a private research institute and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Suomi said.

The research enterprises would help pay for operations of the aquarium, which KUD said it would turn over to a nonprofit organization.

Money for the project would come strictly from private sources such as equity investors, including venture capitalists, long-term debt and donations, Suomi said. He said KUD will seek tax credits under Act 221, the state's high-tech business development incentive.

KUD has hired EHDD Architecture, a San Francisco firm that designed the Monterey Bay Aquarium, to design the Hawai'i complex.

Duncan Ballash, an EHDD principal, said the aquarium building, in conceptual design, has the potential to become a symbol for Kaka'ako, giving it a sense of place and recognition.

But the research opportunities in such a rich marine ecosystem in the middle of the Pacific Ocean will be of greater attraction.

Hadfield, director of the UH marine lab, said in a letter of support that expanding the lab under KUD's proposal would at least double the amount of grant money the lab brings in, which is $9 million.

Cayetano, who has visited KUD projects on the Mainland in previous efforts to develop a $70 million aquarium in Kaka'ako with public money and donations, also supports KUD's proposal.

In a letter supporting the project, Cayetano said advances in marine biotechnology for developing medicine, food and controlling pollution are growing research and development opportunities for such a project.

The proximity of the medical school under construction will further "Hawai'i's efforts to become a global leader in biosciences," Cayetano wrote.

Jan Yokota, executive director of the Hawai'i Community Development Authority, which agreed to negotiate a lease with KUD, said the project is a perfect complement to the medical school and future retail and entertainment uses envisioned for the area.

"It would be exciting if we could get something like that on the waterfront," she said.

KUD's parent, Kajima, through its U.S. subsidiary, is developing the UH medical school in Kaka'ako and recently acquired Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co.

Kajima also was the principal investor and developer of the $160 million Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai on the Big Island, and is working on The Kamehameha Schools East Hawai'i Campus and the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas on Maui.

KUD has been interested in developing an aquarium in Hawai'i for years, and approached Cayetano in 1996 about building one in Kaka'ako.

The company conducted a market study and a workshop for leading aquarium specialists in Honolulu in 1997, but Cayetano's plan was derailed last year by legislative budget priorities.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.