Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 2, 1 February 2015 — [ONWRD, KAKA'AKO] HOLO I MUA, KAKAʻAKO [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

[ONWRD, KAKA'AKO] HOLO I MUA, KAKAʻAKO

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— L_— he Office of Hawaiian Affairs is beginning a process to chart a eon_^HRH^^HH_ccplual master plan for Kaka'ako Makai. H Board of Trustees Chair Robert Lindsey Jr. said OHA's focus for the area is cultural vitality and ineome A generation. "These are eomplementary goals, allowing OHA to | generate ineome that will help fuel our mission to improve the well-being of Native Hawaiians, as well as enhanee and strengthen our culture in the heart of Honolulu," Lindsey said. The agency recently hired Kuhikuhi Pu'uone Collaborative, a consulting group comprised of four Hawaiian firms, to lead the planning effort. The firms have deep and wide experience in and around Kaka'ako. It includes the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation; DTL, a Honolulu-based firm specializing in strategic development, cultural navigation and community outreach; PBR Hawai'i, a landscape architect, landplanning, environmental studies and graphic design firm; and WCIT Architecture, whieh has been involved in major resort and commercial projects. In addition, the collaborative has engaged other firms specializing in such areas as market and Ananeial analysis. WCIT's President Rob Iopa told trustees at a January briefing OHA's project is different from typical projects he's

involved in because its lifespan will go beyond that of the typical project. "In this case, we ean think in perpetuity. We ean think of plans that will be here for generations and generations," Iopa said. "Not often do we get to plan as planners, thinkers and analysts in those types of perspectives." OHA is hoping to give updates on the master-planning process as well as solicit input on various issues in a series of community meetings to be held soon. A schedule of the meetings will be posted at www.oha.org/ kakaako when it is finalized. KAKA'AKO MAKAI If you visit OHA's land in Kaka'ako

Makai today, you will find fences to keep people out of unimproved lots for safety reasons, a few older buildings that have seen better days and a parking lot. The exception is 53 By the Sea, the trendy restaurant that occupies the former site of John Dominis Restaurant. The land was given to OHA by the state as a settlement for the for past due revenues from the puhlie land trust, and though the land was used for industrial and landfill purposes many years ago, those in the land business see huge potential

to earn revenue consistent with a settlement worth $200 million. OHA had asked the state Legislature to lift a ban on residential development on its lots in 2014, a bill that failed to get legislative approval. In 2015, OHA has put legislation regarding residential enti-

tlements on hold pending the outcome of the master-planning process. Restrictions placed upon development in Kaka'ako Makai could mean OHA's earning potential could be less than would otherwise be expected. The return on investment is critical. Under the current policy for Kaka'ako Makai, trustees set aside 10 percent of revenue from the 30 acres to go directly back into the community in the formof grants. In fiscal year 2014, it meant $150,000 extra

<MO'OLELO NUI v www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org C0VER FEATURE f NATiVE HAWAiiAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

A eoneeplual master plan will be developed for the nine properties OHA owns on the makai side of Ala Moana Boulevard. 0HA's goal for the area is to achieve both cultural vitality and ineome generation. - KWOHIe

Pualani Kanahele, Ph.D., head of the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, and Rob lopa, president of WCIT, both members of the consulting group Kuhikuhi Pu'uone Collaborative, met with the OHA Broad of Trustees in January 201 5. - Photo: Helson Gaspar

going to grants, though tens of thousands more are expected to be made available for community grants this year based on expected revenue. The vision is to see that number rise as the land is developed and trustees are able to allot a bigger slice of the pie to grants and other projects. OHA's community grants don't only benefit Native Hawaiians, but are, in some ways, an eeonomie engine for the community. Profits made by OHA stay in the loeal economy as they expand services for nonprofits, provide jobs and offer Hawaiian communities and families targeted support - all of whieh create positive short- and long-term ripple effects in the larger community. KUHIKUHI PU'UONE On a crisp January day, members of Kuhikuhi Pu'uone briefed the Board of Trustees Land and Property Committee on its master-planning efforts. Trustees had previously set some themes of the land, including creating a klpuka, or eultural oasis where the Hawaiian national identity and cultural vibrancy ean be celebrated as a welcoming plaee for gatherings small and large - loeal and global. Pualani Kanahele, Ph.D., head of the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, credited trustees for thinking of the Kaka'ako lands as a cultural klpuka. She said, "That will bring together an oasis where we as Hawaiians ean go back and regenerate ourselves and rethink where we eame from." She said a kīpuka, an area of land surrounded by younger lava flows,

was an apt comparison because the older growth plants in the kīpuka will seed the new lava flows thereby influencing a mueh larger area. In that way, she said, OHA's plans could inAuenee a mueh larger area. The collaborative is looking toward the larger community to provide the seeds of what might eventually grow in Kaka'ako Makai. Iopa, in a statement, said, "There is a lot development activity in Kaka'ako, but we see this opportunity in the makai area as set apart. In many ways, we're starting with a hlank canvas, and we're excited to begin engaging the community and encourage their input to help OHA create a plaee that will benefit everyone in some way." Other themes the board has endorsed is the creation of an ideal "live, work and play" community as well as the concept of a hālau ola that explores innovation in heahh, education and political leadership. In that regard, the community will play a crucial role on envisioning the sweet spot where cultural vitality and ineome generation meet to create something that projects the best in culture and creates the best opportunities for Native Hawaiians for generations to eome. Kuhikuhi Pu'uone is being asked to eome up with three possibilities for a master plan. One would not involve residential development in Kaka'ako Makai, the second would anticipate residential development immediately and the third would anticipate residential use some time in the future.

EOCUS ON MONEY One request made by trustees was for the collaborative to present the bottom line to trustees and the puhlie. Linda Chiu of AECOM, a member of the collaborative, noted that certain proposed uses for the properties might need some subsidy from other parts of the project, whieh might not be a bad thing, if it managed to drive traffic to other properties - in other words, a net gain for OHA's properties as a whole. One potential boost in the equation could be the Ohama Presidential Library. The proposed site of the library is adjacent to OHA's properties. Hawai'i's bid for part of the library received a boost when on Jan. 17, the New York Times reported Chicago was no longer the front-runner, thrusting New York and Hawai'i back into the spotlight. Regardless, the driving force of an Ohama center in Kaka'ako Makai could significantly impact OHA's plans. At the January meeting of the Land and Property Committee, Tom Holliday of the Hallstrom Group (whieh has since merged with CBRE) told trustees sovereignty is not just a political or cultural issue but a land issue as well. Trustee Rowena Akana said, "Sovereignty is really self-suf-ficiency. . . . Let's generate enough ineome so that our children and our children's children ean benefit from this property." Trustee Haunani Apoliona, after soaking in Kuhikuhi Pu'uone's presentation, called the master-planning process "encouraging." ■

KAKA'AKO MAKAI PARGEL L0T SIZES

From left, Kamana'opono Crabbe, Ka Pouhana and CE0 of OHA, OHA Chair Robert Lindsey, OHA Trustee Rowena Akana, OHA C00 Kawika Burgess and Robert lopa of WCIT at the January 201 5 briefing on 0HA's Kaka'ako Makai planning project. - Photo: Helson Gaspar