Parking garage in Kailua proposed

Associated Press

A major landowner on O'ahu has plans to build a three- or four-story parking garage in downtown Kailua.

The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is debating whether building the $8 million to $10 million structure would be a good investment. The foundation will hold a public meeting June 25 at Kailua Intermediate School to discuss possible options, said Mitch D'Olier, president and chief executive of the foundation and its affiliate, for-profit Kaneohe Ranch Co.

The proposed parking structure would be on foundation land near the Longs Drugs store on Kailua Road. It would be about 40 feet high, which means it would not be visible from Kailua Road, D'Olier said.

Next month, Kaneohe Ranch will begin construction on a larger store for its longtime tenant Longs Drugs. When the new store is completed in March, Kaneohe Ranch will renovate the old Longs and lease it to one or more tenants, said Molly Mosher-Cates, vice president of Kaneohe Ranch.