Safeway affiliate buys Maui shopping mall
Safeway now owns the land under its 25-year-old store in Lahaina, Maui, along with the rest of the Lahaina Cannery Mall shopping center.
An affiliate of the California-based supermarket chain, Property Development Centers, bought the 130,599-square-foot mall for an undisclosed price earlier this month.
Safeway is the largest anchor in the mall, which has about 50 tenants and was developed in 1987.
The retailer did not say what, if any, changes it plans for the mall.
Property Development Centers is the company’s real estate development arm, and typically acquires land to build, expand or improve retail centers anchored by Safeway stores.
In Hawaii, Property Development Centers has been involved in several retail projects. The company developed a Safeway-anchored center in Kapahulu in 2007, then sold the project earlier this year. The company is also developing Laulani Village in Ewa Beach and Parkway Shops Kapolei to be anchored by Safeway stores.
Safeway has 19 Hawaii stores, including three on Maui. A fourth Maui store is under construction and slated to open next year in Wailuku.
Home sales and prices slide on Maui
Maui home sales and median prices sagged modestly in May, according to a report by the Realtors Association of Maui.
The trade association, which counts sales of previously owned and new homes, said the number of single-family home sales last month on the Valley Island declined 10 percent to 64 from 71 in the same month last year. The median price for those homes declined 9 percent to $382,250 from $418,000 in the same period. Condominium sales on Maui last month dipped 3 percent to 111 from 114 a year earlier. The median condo price was down 4 percent to $336,000 from $349,500 in the same period.
Areas of Kauai get Verizon 4G network
Verizon Wireless has launched its 4G LTE (long-term evolution) network on Kauai, specifically in Lihue, Puhi, Nawiliwili, Wailua Homesteads and Kapaa.
Additionally, the company has expanded the 4G service of its network on Hawaii island, specifically to Hilo, Keaau, Mountain View and Pahoa, adding to the Kona and South Kohala communities where it previously was available.
The network covers more than two-thirds of the U.S. population, according to a statement.
UnitedHealth will keep parts of health law
Insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc., which covers about 56,000 individuals in Hawaii, sees some parts of the health care overhaul as sound medicine and plans to keep them even if the law fails to survive an upcoming Supreme Court ruling.
The nation’s largest health insurer said Monday that it will still cover preventive care like immunizations without charging a co-payment, which is the fee usually paid at the doctor’s office, and it will continue other popular, initial provisions of the law.
The overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people, started unfolding in 2010 after health insurers fought bitterly to block its passage. Challenges to the law from states and other groups opposed to it wound their way through the court system to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments on the law’s constitutionality in March.
Chrysler adds 2 model years to Jeep Liberty recall
DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler has added more than 137,000 Jeep Liberty SUVs to a March safety recall, bringing the total number of vehicles affected to nearly 347,000.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the lower control arms in the rear suspensions of the Libertys can rust and break, possibly causing them to crash. However, the company says it knows of no crashes or injuries from the problem. The recall involves vehicles in states where salt is used to clear ice and snow from the roads.
Chrysler said Monday that it will inspect the parts and replace them for free if needed.
ON THE MOVE
Central Pacific Bank has appointed the following to Central Pacific HomeLoan Division’s Oahu sales team:
» Craig Endo has more than 20 years of real estate management experience and was previously an escrow officer at Title Guaranty Escrow Services.
» Michael Lampman has more than 20 years of mortgage lending experience and was previously a senior loan officer at American Savings Bank.
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has hired Steve Cohen as branch manager of the firm’s Windward office. He has more than 25 years of real estate experience in Hawaii and on the mainland, including owning his own consulting group, Steven M. Cohen Inc.
