PRINCEVILLE >> Aloha Petroleum Ltd. has opened the temporary Princeville Aloha Gas station, fueling excitement and curiosity about the expansion of the Princeville Shopping Center.
Groundwork for the expansion project of the Princeville Shopping Center began in November with the closure of the North Shore General Store and the Shell gas station.
On Wednesday the much- anticipated opening of the temporary Princeville Aloha Gas station had motorists rubbernecking while driving through the parking lot. Foodland Supermarket Store Director Raynell Lloyd was pumped up about the opening and encouraged everyone to pull over and fill up.
“Today is our soft opening, and we’ve been kind of scrambling around trying to get everything up,” said Lloyd. “We’ve been training, and we know people have been waiting for it, so we are excited to be open.
“We have one employee that’s running the gas station, but all the managers, all the office clerks and a couple of the cashiers go over there to help her out if she needs it, so we’re still trying to look for people, but we’re here. Come and check us out!” she said.
The three pump pods are next to Kuhio Highway and across from Foodland Supermarket. They are equipped with regular gas, diesel and non-ethanol. Aloha Gas will not add more pods as this will be a temporary station until the replacement station is ready.
The installation of the gas pods now fuels Princeville’s expansion project. In June the North Shore community attended a public meeting at the Princeville Community Center to discuss details regarding the construction and expansion of the shopping center.
David Haverly, president of Haverly Commercial Real Estate, and Peter Uchiyama of Uchiyama Erskine Architects presented a blueprint and answered community questions. The top topic that morning was the removal of the Shell station and the disturbance it would create.
“This, I’m going to apologize, is going to be a disruption to the community,” Haverly said.
“You’ll definitely have gas, we are committed to that, but it will take time to decommission a gas station; takes sometimes up to two years. The tanks that are here are over 30 years old, we want them removed, we want to clean up the site and we want to make sure everything is wonderful there, and then we want to put brand new equipment,” he said.
Additional plans for the expansion include moving the Foodland Supermarket to the empty plot of land between the Kolopua workforce housing complex and the shopping center. The new 40,000-square-foot Foodland will be a cookie- cutter design customized to accommodate the neighborhood.
Haverly also added that the relocation would have an entry access point, including an additional 200 parking stalls and the possibility of more electric vehicle charging stations. Construction work on the new structure building will begin in phases. Haverly said he hopes to have tenant turnout by late 2026 or 2027.
Once Foodland has relocated, there are plans to repurpose the old building for potential possibilities, such as a veterinarian office, a self-storage facility, a dry cleaner or a laundromat.
“All ideas will be considered based on community suggestions and needs,” said Haverly.
Kapaa resident Maximus Velasquez, fueling his vehicle at Princeville Aloha Gas, said, “It’s nice that there is gas available now,” but also expressed sadness about the closure of the North Shore General Store.
“It looks interesting, different. I didn’t even know this was a gas station,” said Velasquez while pumping gas.
“It’s just a shame that the general store closed, though. The gas is whatever — gas is gas — but I am more bummed that the minimart and food section is gone. It’s nice having a gas station, but Kilauea is a five-minute drive. The general store had Wagyu beef in there! It was nice in there, good people and always good vibes,” he said.
Unfortunately, Aloha Gas service station won’t be providing Wagyu beef. Still, Lloyd added that it would soon be installed with coolers so motorists can buy gas and small items such as cold drinks, snacks, cigarettes and bagged ice.
Wainiha resident and gas station attendant Jojo Puulei greets customers with a big smile at the service station. She shares that the gas prices at the pods are fair compared with the prices in Lihue.
“We are happy to finally provide the neighborhood with gas,” Puulei said. “Customers can also punch their number at the pump and collect their Aloha Reward Points, similar to our Makai Rewards Points program, so stop by and fill up. We are here and happy to serve you.”
The Princeville Aloha Gas station is temporary and will be closed on Tuesdays. Operating business hours will be Wednesdays through Mondays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
