HIGHLIGHTS OF SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 HCDA MEETING

Following is a summary of actions taken at the September 3, 2008 meeting of the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA)

Five Year Work Plan for Kaka‘ako Public Facilities, Infrastructure Improvements and Planning Projects

Authority members approved a five-year work plan and budget for Kaka‘ako public facilities, infrastructure improvements, and planning projects, and authorized the HCDA Executive Director to begin implementing the work and to approve the contract with Fidelity National Title Insurance Company for the dedication of improvement district projects.

The public facilities projects in the five-year work plan include:

• McKinley High School Master Plan--The Kaka‘ako District high school is developing a master plan for its athletic complex and HCDA is working as part of the master plan team.  One of the planned projects is to improve and expand the existing facilities at the high school football field and track to create an improved school facility that would be available for community use. 

• Mother Waldron Playground--Multi-faceted renovation and expansion improvements to this popular site are planned.  Possible improvements could include projects for park lighting and furniture, a pedestrian promenade along Cooke Street, landscaping and water features, additional play courts and children’s play areas, and renovation of the comfort station.

• Queen Street Mauka/Makai Park—HCDA plans to develop this two-acre park along both sides of the Queen Street Extension starting in January 2009.  This neighborhood park will provide passive recreation space for residents and others in the area.  Design of the park has been completed and a sculpture erected on the Mauka side of the park.

• Kaka‘ako Waterfront, Makai Gateway and Kewalo Basin Parks Improvements-Projects include hardscape enhancements (lights, fixtures, vandalism, promenade repair, landscaping, and repair of the Makai Gateway Park comfort station), and beautification projects (Children’s Discovery Center mural, and festival banners on light poles).  These projects would be the prelude to major park improvements and reconfiguration.

The infrastructure improvement projects include:

• Forrest Avenue—Planned projects involve pedestrian and vehicular traffic improvements, a new traffic signal and drainage work.  These projects would create an efficient mauka-makai connection from Ilalo Street and provide traffic relief on Ala Moana Boulevard.

• Kewalo Basin Repair and Maintenance—To address various safety concerns and to put more piers into use, planned projects would replace several piers and include various other repair and maintenance work.  Walkways would be replaced with a floating system.

• Makai Area Open Channel and Box Culvert Drainage System—This project would entail the repair and maintenance of the drainage channel at the Ewa edge of the Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park to improve safety and service life of the system.

• Queen and Kamakee Street Intersection—the proposed work would realign the street and include the installation of a traffic signal.

• Remediation, Capping and Interim Makai Area Parking—Contaminated sites in Kaka ‘ako Makai will be capped with six inches of cover or paving and an interim parking area will provide 1,200 at-grade parking stalls.

The planning projects include:

• District Wide Parking Facility for Kaka‘ako Makai—HCDA will develop a plan for establishing a district parking facility in the Makai Area.  The facility would provide public parking as well as parking for various life sciences projects, the Kaka‘ako parks and the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

• Makai Waterfront Plan—HCDA will prepare a new redevelopment plan for Kaka‘ako Makai that integrates the Kaka‘ako Makai Community Planning Advisory Council (CPAC) and legislative vision and guiding principles and plans for appropriate enhancement of the Waterfront Park and public facilities.

Kewalo Basin Administrative Rules

HCDA members deferred action on the proposed Kewalo Basin administrative rules pending review and direction by a HCDA subcommittee.

HCDA Officer for 2008-2009

Authority members deferred the election of HCDA officers for 2008-2009.

HCDA Kalaeloa Field Office

Members deferred action on authorizing the HCDA Executive Director to execute a lease agreement with James Campbell, LLC for leasing of suite #167 in the James Campbell Building in Kapolei to relocate the current Kalaeloa Field Office now located at the corner of Enterprise & Yorktown, Bldg. 1756. 

Proposed Kalaeloa Raceway Park

Representatives of the Save Oahu’s Racetracks, LLC (SORT) provided information to the Authority on their proposed plan to establish a temporary racing facility in Kalaeloa.  The group is proposing the temporary facility on a 49-acre parcel of land at the intersection of Coral Sea Road and Tripoli Street.  SORT is proposing construction of a temporary racing facility to provide a venue for local racers since the closure of the Hawaii Raceway Park in April 2006.  SORT needs to obtain approval from the Department of Hawaii Home Lands, the owner of the parcel. 

According to SORT, construction of the temporary facilities will accommodate stock car racing, drifting, time attack, SCCA Solo II, HRRA and wheel to wheel activities which account for 50 percent of the former users of the now closed facility.  The proposed construction includes grading (fill) and some paving of the northernmost 22 acre portion of the property.  Temporary concrete barricades or steel guardrail and posts will be used to create the safety barriers required for the ¼ mile dirt oval as well as concrete barricades and fencing required for the asphalt parking area and .4 mile road course.  The facility would have 20-foot tall landscaping and bleachers.

SORT plans to continue to search for a permanent facility and intends to remove and relocate the improvements to a permanent location once it is constructed.