Light rail included in Aloha Tower plan
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Dallas developer proposing a mixed-use residential, hotel and commercial project for Piers 5 and 6 diamondhead of Aloha Tower said yesterday that a Honolulu light-rail transit system is essential for his estimated $150 million-plus venture.
Kenneth Hughes of UC Urban also said necessary parts of his plan include restoring Irwin Park, replacing Hawaiian Electric Co.'s power plant with a park and creating roughly 1,000 off-site parking spaces in the vicinity of nearby Fort Armstrong.
Hughes presented the new project details at an Aloha Tower Development Corp. board meeting yesterday, after the agency in February chose to pursue a rough plan he submitted in response to a request for development ideas issued by the state agency late last year.
Yesterday, Hughes acknowledged obstacles to getting his project off the ground, but was confident they could be overcome during an anticipated 10 months of further planning.
Dan Orodenker, project manager for the agency overseeing development of Piers 5 to 14, said he and agency staff are enthusiastic about the ambitious project.
"It is a proposal that purports to transform downtown Honolulu — not just build something on Piers 5 and 6," he said. "It was very creative and actually went beyond the boundaries of the (request for proposals)."
The proposal by Hughes and Baltimore-based architectural firm RTKL Associates Inc. is still very preliminary, requiring market and financial studies. Hughes also said he will need a commitment that government officials will move ahead with light rail, the project's linchpin.
City vs. state
City and state officials have been at odds over how to improve mass transit. The city is pushing to create exclusive and semi-exclusive bus lanes for a "bus rapid transit" system. The governor and some state lawmakers favor more expensive light rail. Last month city and state officials held the first of several meetings this year to try and work out differences.
Hughes is convinced that light rail is a better solution to O'ahu traffic problems and that his project can help provide riders and pay for a portion of the cost of developing a main station at Piers 5 and 6.
Rod Haraga, transportation department director and Aloha Tower Development board member, said he needs to assess how the developer's proposed light rail station could fit with state and city mass-transit plans. "We really need to take a good look at it," he said.
The plan by Hughes is to build 250 or more loft-style residential rentals for people interested in using light-rail transportation — a concept he made work in Dallas by developing a $100 million mixed-use project called Mockingbird Station next to an existing light-rail terminal.
Mockingbird Station residents, Hughes said, pay 30 percent higher rent for being connected to light rail, restaurants, an 8-screen theater, offices and retail.
At Piers 5 and 6, Hughes proposes building 200,000 square feet of office space, a 250-room hotel with ground-level retail and restaurants, a ferry terminal and boat slips in addition to residential rentals to create a transit-oriented project dubbed Pacific Quay, meaning wharf.
Hughes estimated Pier 5 and 6 work would cost $150 million. The parking, power plant acquisition and park improvements would cost more.
Over the next 10 months, Hughes plans to initiate talks with Hawaiian Electric about buying the power plant site and talk with transportation department officials about incorporating parking at Fort Armstrong, where the state plans a new cruise ship terminal.
Development encouraged
Construction could start by 2005 and take two years, according to Hughes, who estimated that Pacific Quay and light rail going forward could spawn another $600 million to $700 million in development around Honolulu Harbor and the central business district.
The state has been trying to rekindle redevelopment in the area since an original $700 million, five-phase project stalled after the first phase, Aloha Tower Marketplace, was completed in 1994 by a private development team.
The state recovered development rights three years ago and since has been trying to find someone to fulfill the original vision of creating a bustling urban community along the underused waterfront.
Agency board members yesterday supported continuing discussions and further planning with Hughes in hopes his idea can succeed.
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
