Parking free for a day downtown
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Downtown motorists will get a rare treat tomorrow at the municipal lot at Beretania Street and Pali Highway: free parking.
It's sort of a last hurrah before the 212-stall lot is turned over to a private operator starting Tuesday. The good news is that rates will stay the same, at least for now.
The transition is part of the city's sale of a land parcel known as Block J, the large area that sits along Pali Highway just on the edge of downtown Honolulu. Pflueger Honda plans to develop the site, which has been a municipal parking lot for almost 30 years, into a commercial complex.
Until work begins on the development, the site will remain a parking lot managed by the private AMPCO company, which will continue to charge municipal rates, city officials said.
For more than 30 years, the parking lot, with 202 metered and 10 handicap stalls, has been a favorite place for residents making quick trips in and out of the downtown business district.
"It's very cheap and convenient. There's nothing to really replace it," said Delphine Venvat, a University of Hawai'i student who on Friday was using the lot to meet her boyfriend, a Hawai'i Pacific University student.
Other municipal parking lots in downtown Honolulu • Chinatown Gateway Plaza, 1011 Nu'uanu Ave., 112 stalls. • Smith & Beretania Street lot, 120 stalls. • Kukui Plaza, 1255 Nu'uanu Ave., 430 stalls.
The lot also has been a favorite of police, prosecutors and others headed for the nearby District Court building, said Marsha Kitigawa, state judiciary spokeswoman.
Other stalls
City officials have been negotiating with owners of the nearby Davies Pacific Center to provide parking for public officials headed to court appearances, Kitigawa said. Details of the arrangement have not been finalized.
The city sold the 2.4-acre lot to Pflueger earlier this year for $10.5 million after several previous attempts to redevelop the area had failed.
Pflueger has said it intends to move its Ala Moana auto dealership to the site and is considering building condominiums and additional commercial space there.
For now, city officials say the public can continue to use the lot and 77 spaces will continue to be available for city employees.
Ultimately, however, Pflueger's plans include building a parking garage on the site. It has said previously that the garage will include 100 stalls available at the municipal rates. Another 100 parking spots may be sold for long-term rental at market rates.
"Even if they keep some spots available, it won't be as convenient as before," said Liliha resident Matt Charles, who was returning to his parking spot after taking his wife to lunch. "All the other private lots are a lot more expensive and difficult to get into."
Rates at downtown municipal parking lots, including the one at Block J, are set at $1 per hour. The City Council approved a measure on Friday that raises those rates to $1.50 per hour.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
