Wilder Avenue facelift doubtful
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The city has released its plan to revitalize Wilder Avenue in Makiki, turning it from an automobile-focused street to a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly road with a meandering sidewalk shaded by trees.
But the proposal may never be more than a dream, according to city officials.
With an estimated price tag of $3.5 million and Mayor Jeremy Harris planning to submit a 2004 city construction budget $100 million less than the current fiscal year, moving forward with construction on a nonessential project is unlikely, said city Managing Director Ben Lee.
"It seems like the estimated cost is pretty high," Lee said. "It won't go out to bid because it is only master planning. We are not ready to build anything yet because there are not any design drawings or construction documents. Design and Construction will look at it and see what to recommend this year, if anything at all."
Nevertheless, the city filed its draft environmental assessment for the Makiki Town Center and Wilder Avenue Revitalization Master Plan with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control last week, and is seeking public comment on it.
The plan originally was proposed by former City Councilman Andy Mirikitani. The work would run along Wilder Avenue from Pensacola Street at Makiki Cemetery to Punahou Street, and much like the recent road and sidewalk improvements in Kaimuki, it is meant to help define the Makiki community.
• To comment on the Makiki Master Plan proposal, send a letter to City and County of Honolulu, Department of Design and Construction, 650 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813, and include copies for the consultant, Gerald Park Urban Planner, and the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. • The deadline for comments is Feb. 22.
Plans include reconstructing the sidewalks in colored and textured concrete on both sides of Wilder Avenue, adding bicycle lanes, landscaping both sides of the street, improving bus boarding areas and shelters and installing Victorian-style street lights and benches.
Comment on the idea
John Steelquist, chairman of the Makiki/Lower Punchbowl/Tantalus Neighborhood Board, said the proposal has many good ideas, but it also would remove 60 street parking spaces.
"Taking 60 parking spots in Makiki didn't go over too well at all," Steelquist said. "Parking is already a problem. Give us a plan that gives us a strolling lane and adds 60 parking spots. Then everybody will be happy."
The master plan also would place signs at historic sites such as Saint Clement's Parish, built in 1897, and the Hawai'i Sugar Planters Association buildings, built in 1886.
Three options that are less extensive and less expensive also are included in the document.
"In Makiki and along Wilder Avenue, you are talking about residential and through traffic," Steelquist said. "Both of those groups would be upset during the project construction. If the majority of people want it, it is a great idea. I suspect people would rather spend their money on lights for the park and things like that — something more practical."
Lee said the city will complete the master plan, submit the environmental assessment and then decide if anything will be pursued.
"We will ask the community to prioritize what they would like to do," Lee said. "The city has such narrow sidewalks, and there was much more priority given to cars when they were designed. Now people want to see what they can do to make them more pedestrian-friendly. Makiki has an opportunity to be as charming as Manoa, and this project is in line with the city's overall plan of making communities more user-friendly."
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
