Aloha Tower plan picked
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
The state yesterday agreed to pursue a plan by a Dallas developer who proposes building a hotel, residential lofts, office tower and ferry terminal at Piers 5 and 6 diamondhead of Aloha Tower Marketplace.
The plan by Kenneth Hughes of Dallas-based UC Urban was one of two submitted in response to a request for proposals issued late last year by the Aloha Tower Development Corp., the agency guiding redevelopment at Honolulu Harbor.
UC Urban's proposal calls for 250 low-rise loft residences, 200,000 square feet of office space and a 250-room hotel with ground-level restaurant and retail space.
A ferry terminal, parking and boat slips are also part of the planned project.
Ron Hirano, executive director of the Aloha Tower Development Corp., said the proposal was very preliminary and lacked many details, though it represents an encouraging start.
"I'm kind of excited about their proposal," he said. "We've always tried to make this place a people place as envisioned by the Legislature when they created the development corporation. Unfortunately, the Gulf War and the economic downturn prevented us from doing a lot of things. Now I think we have the opportunity to make long-needed improvements."
Agency board members voted to proceed with discussions with UC Urban, which will be asked to submit more detailed proposal terms.
UC Urban's plan, called Pacific Quay, was one of two that the agency received. But Hirano said the other was considered "non-responsive" to requested criteria.
Consideration of an unsolicited third proposal to develop Piers 12 to 15 was deferred by the agency board.
If UC Urban and agency staff can agree on terms for the developer's plan, then the two would try to negotiate a formal agreement that would need board approval.
UC Urban did not estimate a development timetable or cost. Company representatives could not be reached yesterday afternoon.
Hughes, president of UC Urban, has been involved in several retail developments in the Mainland Southwest. The company's most ambitious project was a $100 million mixed-use development in Dallas called Mockingbird Station.
For Mockingbird Station, UC Urban partnered with giant Denver-based home developer Simpson Housing to transform an abandoned brick warehouse and office building next to a light-rail station, creating 211 luxury loft apartments, 550,000 square feet of office space, an 8-screen theater, restaurants and a retail area anchored by a Virgin Megastore.
Hirano said UC Urban's plan at Piers 5 and 6 could include a future terminal for mass-transit connecting Waikiki with the airport. "We're looking into how we would do that," he said.
Baltimore-based architectural firm RTKL Associates Inc., designer of Mockingbird Station, is the architect for Pacific Quay, which is pronounced "key" or "kay" and means wharf.
The UC Urban proposal follows an unsolicited plan by a startup firm, Rainbow Pier Development LLC, to build a $200 million hotel, office and ferry terminal at the site. Rainbow Pier's plan, announced last February, was rejected by the board in August after the developer failed to provide detailed financial projections.
The state has been trying to facilitate redevelopment of its underused waterfront property since a master-planned five-phase project that started with the $100 million festival marketplace stalled in the early 1990s.
The retail and dining marketplace, completed in 1994, was supposed to be the first phase in a $700 million development that included a hotel, condominiums, an office building and ferry terminal stretching from Piers 5 to 14.
Aloha Tower Development Corp. regained development rights for the area three years ago from the original developer and has been trying to find a developer or developers to finish the master plan.
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
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