Hawai'i Kai developers propose taller buildings
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
A group of developers hopes to obtain approval for 90-foot-tall buildings near the Hawai'i Kai post office to accommodate 296 high-end condominiums. If approved, it would be among the last remaining such projects in a building boom that began about five years ago.
If the City Council doesn't approve the request, the developers will build the same number of units, to a maximum height of 60 feet, which is currently approved, said Mike Klein, who is affiliated with Hawai'i Intergenerational Community Development Association.
Klein, whose group is one of three developers on the project, said they had incorporated concerns about overdevelopment into the buildings' design. "We can mitigate the look of sprawl along Hawai'i Kai Drive with the height," he said.
The project, Hale Ali'i, would be similar in price and size to the high-rises going up along Ala Moana Boulevard. Individual units there sold for about $1 million each, appealing to upscale owners in their 50s, Klein said. Details about the units are not set yet, he said.
The project has been getting mixed reactions. Residents praise the developer for designing buildings set back from the road that fit in with the community. But others have no tolerance for any additional building in the community, which has seen a development boom in the past five years, with four large housing projects going up now.
When the project was first presented to the community in the spring, Klein assured residents who live on Mariner's Ridge, behind the project on Hawai'i Kai Drive, that their views should not be affected by a 90-foot building. It would be similar in height to the 30-year-old Esplanade condominium building on Lunalilo Home Road, across from Kaiser High School.
The Hale Ali'i project has city zoning, but would require a zone change to allow the developers to exceed the 60-foot height limitation set for the parcel. The developers had thought they could proceed with a variance, but after informal talks with the city Department of Planning and Permitting, they were told to seek a zone change, Klein said. That will require a series of public hearings and City Council approval.
The project received a nod last week from the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board, which voted 9-1 in favor of it. James Kennedy voted in opposition and Tony Paresa abstained.
The next step is for the developers to apply to the city for a height change, Klein said. That will probably take about a year to decide.
Ron Bowman, whose home on Mariner's Ridge overlooks the property, said he didn't see how a 90-foot project would affect his view.
But Andrew Constantaras, another Mariner's Ridge resident, said he saw no compelling reason for the city to change the height allowance.
"We have zoning regulations that restrict building heights to 60 feet," Constantaras said. "A taller building will be an eyesore no matter what cosmetic improvements are proposed by the developer."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
