Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 5, 1 April 2008 — What can we do with it? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What can we do with it?

In various discussions regarding the land portion of the settlement with the state regarding OHA's share of past revenues from the puhlie trust lands, many people have asked, "What is OHA going to do with that land?" To refresh your memory, those lands are in three areas: Kaka'ako Makai, Kalaeloa Makai, and along Banyan Drive in Hilo. The Kaka'ako land is in two parts: a rather long parcel stretching from the old Fisherman's Wharf restaurant to, and including, the John Dominis restaurant. Except for a small drydock operation and John Dominis, that parcel is essentially vacant. The second Kaka'ako parcel is a block in the 'Ewa direction toward the Kaka'ako Park. It needs to be noted that under a statute passed in a previous legislative session, those parcels cannot be used for residential purposes. The Kalaeloa land is vacant, and the Hilo properties are occupied by hotels (Hilo Hawaiian, Naniloa, Unele Billy's, for example) a small condominium, and a small golf course. OHA has no immediate plans for the development of the properties. Indeed, their development will depend to a rather large degree on whether an environmental due diligence study shows any environmental contamination. In any event, ultimate development of the properties will be determined by the Trustees after careful study and analysis by OHA's Land Management Hale. That study will undoubtedly suggest several possible actions that might be taken by the Board of Trustees regarding eaeh parcel. In the meantime, and strictly informally, without any attempt to steer the Trustees in one direction or another, some possibilities have been discussed. I present some of those ideas here only for illustration, and I emphasize that noth-

ing has gone beyond mere discussion. For the larger Kaka'ako parcel there has been talk about perhaps developing a culturally oriented market plaee where people ean find items that are locally produced and are exhibited in an ambienee of identity with the Native Hawaiian culture. The fundamental purpose of such a development would be to emphasize the importance of educating people about the Native Hawaiian culture and the importance of preserving it. As for the other Kaka'ako parcel, perhaps OHA might consider a mediumrise office building. The Kalaeloa parcel is in an industrial zone along the seashore makai of the Barbers Point Industrial area. It would need some preliminary site work in order to be brought up to an acceptable condition for development, but possibilities exist for installation of a facility for creating electrical power using the sun's rays. That power, of course, could be sold to industrial users or to Hawaiian Electric Co. As for the Hilo properties, they are subject to leases held by the various hotels that will expire in about 2015. Some Hilo officials are concerned that when OHA acquires ownership the town will lose the largest bank of hotel rooms on that side of the island. That could have grave implications for Hilo's eeonomie well-being. One rather important personage in Hilo suggested to me that when the hotel leases run out and OHA gets full control of the land the buildings should be torn down and the seaside lands on whieh they stand be developed into a park. Hotels could then be constructed on the golf course site. Personally, I think that has great possibilities. All of the above discussion is, as I pointed out earlier, little more than daydreaming. But how many marvelous developments and giant leaps forward began as somebody's daydream? The real point here is that an opportunity may be at hand to begin building capacity for self-sustainability of Kanaka Maoli culture through the settlement and pending legislation. E3

LEO 'ELELE ■ TRUSTEE MESSAGES

Walter M. Heen TrustEE, O'ahu