Don’t let towers overwhelm city
At the start of singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s first trip to Hawaii, more than four decades ago, she threw back hotel curtains and gazed at beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, she recalled in a Los Angeles Times account, “I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart … this blight on paradise. That’s when I sat down and wrote the song,” which includes the lament: Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
Those lyrics, popularized in the 1970 tune “Big Yellow Taxi,” hold cautionary-tale relevance today as the city’s still-malleable transit-oriented development (TOD) directives are attracting developers, including one that already wants to push past building-height rules for a proposed high-rise mauka of Ala Moana Center, near the 20-mile rail line’s envisioned last stop.
ProsPac — headed by a founding shareholder of Shanghai HuaRui bank, the first private bank in Shanghai — wants to build a 400-unit condo mauka of Walgreens on the corner of Makaloa and Keeaumoku streets. The high-rise would be 400 feet tall. Existing zoning for the site allows buildings up to 250 feet, but under TOD rules — tailored with incentives for development — the maximum height is 350 feet. ProsPac may seek a variance for extra density, too.
In return for variances, the developer is promising a public-benefits package that includes open space of about 9,000 square feet around the building and another 5,500 square feet in an arcade with 28-foot ceilings. Plus, there would be more than the minimum amount of affordable housing required by the city, although Pros-Pac has not specified how much.
Approval of height and density proposals that exceed standard zoning is up to the City Council. Before taking action on any variance request tied to a TOD project, city leaders must take a hard look at what we’ve got — before it’s gone.
The TOD framers maintain that what we’ve got is opportunity to build 21 rail stations —from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center— surrounded by “diverse, walkable neighborhoods,” with each station area establishing a “sense of place by celebrating historic and cultural assets; connecting homes with employment and education centers; and providing convenient access to goods, services, and recreation.”
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
More than any other rail station along the line, the Ala Moana Center terminus is expected to bump up area property values and tax revenues, according to the Ala Moana Neighborhood TOD’s draft final plan, which pledges to “guide development in such a manner that optimizes value capture while ensuring community benefits.”
Its rules for high-rise construction aim to balance residential and commercial concerns. If the City Council wants to grant a variance to accommodate ProsPac or any other developer, it must drive a hard bargain, befitting the city’s position in the catbird seat.
The Ala Moana Center station is projected to be the largest boarding station along the rail line, with more than 22,000 daily boardings expected. On behalf of future generations, the public today must consider whether to allow that hub to be edged by a crowded concrete-and-glass high-rise corridor.
In addition to ProsPac’s yet-to-be-named high-rise, plans are in the works for at least five others nearby. And in neighboring Kakaako, where a couple of rail stations also are planned, special state development rules apply and already allow 400-foot-tall buildings — the tallest in the state.
Some sections of the Ala Moana neighborhood now serve as lingering reminders that Hawaii has indeed paved some choice bits of paradise and put up plenty of parking lots. The neighborhood’s TOD plan describes its densely populated commercial stretches as lacking in character and “formless,” and notes a need for more greenery — community parks and recreational facilities — as well as safe pathways for pedestrians and cyclists.
Now is the time, as the vision for transit-oriented development continues to take shape, to take stock of what we’ve got.
26 responses to “Don’t let towers overwhelm city”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hawaii’s fate is sealed: we are Asian. Forget nice little old fashioned development practices. Asian developers go for broke when it comes to the mainland style rules. Hong Kong, look out. Now if we could only drive the Navy out of Pearl Harbor and convert it to commercial shipping, we would thrive. Wait a minute, what about that big gap between the islands and the West Coast of America? An undersea hyperloop, maybe.
So sad but so true. The powers that be want it to be like Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. So true but so sad.
It’s not because we’re “Asian,” it’s because we have valuable land (limited supply, close to beaches) and our politicians believe in getting all the money they can while the getting is good, and scrəw future generations. This means develop as much as they can, invite more and more and more and more and more and more people to Hawaii to keep the dollars flowing into their own pockets, by way of construction companies, “non-profits” for “homeless”, unions, etc. Cha-ching! Destruction of Hawaii’s natural beauty? Who cares.
“City must drive a hard bargain, befitting the city’s position in the catbird seat”
ha ha ha funny article. Hawaii has NO vision and NO planners, its just build, build build. Such s shame.
SELLOUT to the highest bidder for what ? Destroying the aina for RICH FOREIGN developers, so SAD !
Hopeless…….Done deal already.
This editorial would have been helpful about 4 years ago, back before Kaka’ako was given up on.
We can thank greedy OHA for Kakaako….
You can’t stop with OHA. Everyone near the pool wants to dip their beak, or elbow-in for a shot. It’s how local politician roll. No regard for anything other than personal reward. Financial that is.
Oh the irony…SA writing an editorial cautioning urban blight and blind high rise development and yet SA continued to support the ethically absent current mayor and government which never saw a plot of land they didn’t think a high rise should shouldn’t be build on.
Let the wrecking balls take over in HNL and let EVERY outside speculator build whatever they want, however high they want it!!!
HNL is D O N E
The train is the source of the evil.
Actually that’s true. The rail is the excuse to build higher-density projects within 1/2 mile of the rail line — and 1/2 mile from Queen or Kona street will take you as far as Beretania or King in the Mauka direction, respectively. That covers a heck of a large area for high-density projects under the “excuse” of the rail. Follow the money, people.
…the alternative is more suburban sprawl, auto traffic and rezoning of ag land….OR make it illegal to move to Hawaii…which is unconstitutional.
Developers wishing to exceed the 350 feet maximum height should be required to pay for the maintenance of the rail stations in perpetuity, with yearly escalations.
The people voted for heavy development when Caldwell got reelected. High rise upon high rise. Those that bought will eventually have no view other than another building.
I’d rather see more high-rises in Kakaako than the further spread of suburban blight out Ewa. If the population continues to grow ( and it will ), then we only have 2 choices: build up or out. O.K. – third choice – more green space for the ever increasing number of homeless who are priced out of the Honolulu housing market.
Not every person can afford to live in every place. I do feel sorry for people who were born here and are struggling, especially when they are faced with high taxes to pay for housing people who INTENTIONALLY MOVED to the most expensive state in the nation to freeload (those people should be given the “assistance” of relocating to a cheaper place, and nothing else).
Yes, it would not seem so bad if those high rises were AFFORDABLE for actual low-middle class working people, but that’s obviously not the case. The vast majority of all units will be in the millions of dollars for wealthy summer homes or retirement homes for the rich. We need homes for people like starting teachers making maybe $45,000. Right now, $45,000 qualifies you for nothing. Maybe a tiny studio on the leeward coast. I don’t think any developer is willing to build for people like that.
Cannot disagree. As long as there is such a big unmet demand the prices will continue to increase. As for that starting teacher – he/she will have to rent with a roommate for a while like the rest of us did when we started out. A combined income of 90K should allow for a 2 bedroom rental a little closer than Makaha.
Another silly comment because you should know very well that regardless, urban ghetto is coming out ewa and even beyond.
BTW – I did not know that Hawaii played a role in Mitchell’s song. I love that song, sad as its message is.
Graham Nash was her boyfriend back in the day.
Too late already
not “Go West young man”…….it’s “Build higher young man”.
The Keeaumoku – Makaloa and nearby Kapiolani-Keeaumoku intersections are already a mess with the current traffic. Adding the 2 proposed towers on Makaloa will further add to the problems. Add in the Sheridan St. tower and access to Keeaumoku and Piikoi Sts on Makaloa and Rycroft will be a nightmare, and not just at rush hour because of the magnet of the Walmart/Sam’s club. Let’s not forget that it will probably be 8 years until rail reaches Ala Moana, so all those new residents will still want their cars (but won’t have enough parking provided in their buildings because of TOD waivers).
I wouldn’t mind as much if the developers who are making lots of money on these high priced new condos that are being billed as “affordable” and “near transit” would give some of that money they’re raking in towards the cost of rail!
They’re benefiting financially from rail. They should help pay for it!
I like open public space produced on the ground level. These plans offer a lot to the public.