Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2006 — Negotiations advance on plan for OHA headquarters and culture center on Kaka'ako waterfront [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Negotiations advance on plan for OHA headquarters and culture center on Kaka'ako waterfront

By Manu Buyd Public lnfnrmatinn Directnr If all goes as planned, and the stars and planets are aligned, Hawai'i could be witness to the unveiling of a brand-new Hawaiian culture center and the new headquarters for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs by summer 2010. Long the topic of discussion and negotiation, the proposed development on the 5.2-acre Kaka'ako parcel near the entrance to Honolulu Harborknown as "Lot 1" is now closer to reality. On July 5, the Hawai'i Community Development Authority (HCDA) granted OHA a six-month exclusive lease negotiation period for the Kaka'ako site. According to OHA Special Projects Manager Robert Takushi,

six months should afford a sufficient period to negotiate a lease agreement and do up front due diligence to determine an appropriate course of action. At that point, enviromnental studies will be conducted. Architects Hawai'i has been secured as OHA's project designer, and the state Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) will serve as project manager. "Five years ago when we conducted focus groups in the Hawaiian community to create our OHA strategic plan, one eonnnon theme was that OHA should have a plaee, a building to eall its own. The development of a cultural center and OHA office facility will finally address this issue," said OHA Administrator Clyde

Nāmu'o. "Our vision is to create a facility that the Hawaiian eommunity will be proud to be associated with. Our cultural center will provide a venue for cultural performances and exhibits and be a gathering plaee for our eommunity. This is long overdue." The rectangular parcel runs mauka to makai on the 'Ewa end of Kaka'ako Waterfront Park, adjacent to the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine. The proposed site sits squarely on ceded lands and is currently occupied by Rosette Steel Hawai'i LLC and Next Step, a temporary homeless shelter. Both entities' leases expire in the next few months. HCDA is responsible for coordinating the development of the entire Kaka'ako eom-

plex including the park, medical school, the proposed OHA site and surrounding areas. Landscaping for the OHA site will include native flora - among whieh is kou, a hardwood tree with orange blossoms, onee abundant in the harbor area, fonnerly known as "Kou." Hawaiian eultural practices and performing arts features are also proposed. A preliminary plan includes a three-

story structure with 30,000 square feet of indoor space, landscaped gardens and 180 parking stalls. It is estimated that the development could cost in the area of $40 million, and OHA will likely request Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds from the state to build the center. Also proposed just mauka of the OHA site is the University of See KAKA'AKO on page 08

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The potential site of 0HA's new headquarters and Hawaiian cultural center in Kaka'ako. - Photo: Doug Peebles

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Cantinued fram page ŪG Hawai'i Cancer Research Center. Of OHA's proposed headquarters and culture center, HCDA Executive Director Daniel Dinell told the Honolulu Star-BuIIetin: "It's good to have a use that's compatible with the public use of the park. Now OHA is taking the lead in the providing that cultural amenity." OHA currently leases office space at the Pacific Park Plaza building at 711 Kapi'olani Blvd. in Kaka'ako for approximately $1 million per year - and has been at that loeahon since 1991. ^