On June 13 and Nov. 9, the chairman of Neighborhood Board No. 18, Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village, had articles published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser supporting the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) and plans for a new stadium. I surely hope he was speaking for himself and not the community, because some of us disagree with his support of this project.

As for me, a former chairman of this same neighborhood board and current board member, with 40-plus years living in this community, I am speaking for myself and some of my neighbors who feel strongly against this fiasco development.

I oppose a new stadium development at this location. The old stadium couldn’t support itself, so what makes people think this will be any different? If state Sen. Glenn Wakai thinks soccer and rugby will fill the stands of a new stadium, I would like to know what Kool-Aid he is drinking. We have had soccer and rugby games in the past with not much success. Taxpayers will be funding NASED and a new stadium for the rest of our lives if we go down this road, since it will not sustain itself.

Wakai, who appears to be the mouthpiece for this project, in a Jan. 31 article proposed to give the Stadium Authority “super powers” and called it the “Avengers,” referencing a group of Marvel superheroes (“‘Super powers’ proposed for Stadium Authority,” Star-Advertiser). Maybe Wakai is disguising himself as the “Joker” in this “superhero” fiasco since no one should have “super powers” when they work for the taxpayer.

The only way a new stadium can profit is if an NFL franchise is in play; season tickets would be sold out before the stadium is built.

We don’t need an entertainment/shopping district either. For these experiences we already have many shopping centers within a three-minute drive from the stadium. Pearlridge shopping center, Aiea Shopping Center, Stadium Marketplace, Moanalua Shopping Center and Salt Lake Shopping Center, to name a few. A new shopping district would damage these small businesses.

Housing, including a hotel, should be supported instead of NASED for the stadium site. Imagine building the “Aloha Hotel” along Kamehameha Highway on the west side of the property overlooking the ocean and Pearl Harbor at the rail line.

The rest of the property would be for housing — named the “Stadium Condos by Ige,” perhaps? — to include five large condominium towers:

>> “Pearl Harbor” Tower No. 1: For Native Hawaiians, to be operated and maintained by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

>> “Aiea” Tower No. 2: For seniors only.

>> “Salt Lake” Tower No. 3: For local residents, who qualify for affordable housing.

>> “Halawa” Tower No. 4: For “special needs” and the disabled, with all units retrofitted to assist handicaps.

>> “Honolulu” Tower No. 5: At the discretion of the developer to offset costs/losses, to build a business tower, or expensive residential units, or both.

If housing is not an option, my alternative proposal is for Gov. David Ige to place a phone call to The Walt Disney Co. We have California Disneyland and Florida Disney World — why not Hawaii “Disney Island”? Imagine having our own Disney park and the taxpayer not paying for it. Disney could help with rail costs connecting the Disney hotel on Oahu’s west side and future hotels on the rail line. At least this Disney project would pay for itself and not put “we the taxpayers” in debt. Imagine the tourism and jobs boom if Disney comes to town.

David Yomes is a former chairman of the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village Neighborhood Board; the views expressed here are his own.