The state and its group of preferred private contractors for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District remain on schedule to open a new multi-use stadium in Halawa with capacity for 25,000 in time for the start of the 2028 football season, leaders of the public-private partnership project said Monday.
Contrary to what some contend, there is enough money available now to build a functional stadium, the state officials and a leader of the private sector group, Aloha Halawa District Partners, added.
They also said a Preliminary Development Agreement signed March 31 is a significant step. It leads toward finalizing a contract ahead of the self-imposed June 30 deadline that would give AHDP the job of developing, building, operating and maintaining the stadium, and master developer status for the entire 98 acres of NASED.
The project includes a wide range of real estate from affordable housing to visitor attractions, and the stadium is just part of the first phase of a 20-year undertaking.
“(The PDA) really helps us,” interim Aloha Stadium manager Chris Sadayasu said. “Although we are still in negotiations, it’s a tool to get us to the final document. It helps show that we’re still on track.”
It also means AHDP gets paid. The consortium will be compensated by the state for prep work done before the final contract is signed — or even if it is not, but that seems unlikely now.
The PDA allows the private partner consortium to move forward in various areas, including biohazard testing and attaining required licenses and permits, and AHDP agrees to follow specified guidelines while doing so. The agreement makes it more likely for the new stadium to be built on time and on budget.
“We are working on demolition drawings, anticipating that will start in August,” AHDP lead developer Stanford Carr said.
Although demolition is expected to take up to 10 months, demolishing and building is not a linear process.
“We’ll have equity on designing the stadium, as well as phase one of the real estate, including apartments, condos,” Carr said. “We’ve got multiple things going on at the same time.
“Also, this allows us to do a structural inspection of the north end zone to determine if we can use some of the existing material there,” he added. “There’s a potential for $90 million in savings if concrete structures there are still usable.”
That could mean significant savings in destruction and construction time.
The allotment of $350 million in state bonds from the Legislature in 2022 is enough money to build a serviceable stadium in Halawa, according to several state officials and Carr. But serviceable is not what Carr and others envision, especially for the long term. It is not what will turn the area into a destination on days or nights other than when there is an event on the stadium field.
The Cordish Companies are a key part of AHDP, and have shared renderings of Aloha Live!, which would be similar to other projects by Cordish at major stadiums around the country, but unique in reflecting Hawaii culture.
“The idea is to activate these spaces 365 days a year with different activities throughout the year,” said Cordish CEO Joe Weinberg at last December’s Stadium Authority meeting.
Without more funding soon, though, it could be that just the basic stadium is built first. But the design would allow for expansion to eventually include all the bells and whistles as part of a future phase of the NASED project, Carr said.
“With the 350 million in his pocket, we can probably get something a little less than Snapdragon (Stadium in San Diego), but functional,” said State Sen. Glenn Wakai, who represents the communities surrounding the stadium and has been a consistent force pushing the NASED concept from its inception.
NASED opponents have continued to say that a stand-alone stadium is enough, and bills in the state house have called to scrap NASED and instead expand the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex, where the University of Hawaii has played its home football games since the old Aloha Stadium was closed because of safety concerns. So far, none of these bills have gotten very far in the state Senate.
Carr, the most visible leader from within AHDP, and others continue to seek funding that can be used to build what some call an “aspirational” stadium. One senate bill earlier this session sought to get casinos built at the Hawaii Convention Center and NASED, the latter of which could be a huge financial boost for the stadium and surrounding area. It did not get far, partly because Hawaii remains one of two states in the U.S. where gambling is illegal.
