A plan to add two time-share towers at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki drew mostly favorable comments at a public hearing on Friday, though a few concerns over negative impacts were raised.
The hearing was held by the city Department of Planning and Permitting at Ala Moana Beach Park’s McCoy Pavilion to gather public testimony on the plan that Hilton announced early last year.
Hilton needs planned development and special management area permits from the city for the estimated $760 million project, which would add 550 time-share units, new swimming pools, parking and expanded retail to its 22-acre campus presently occupied by seven hotel and time-share towers.
Ultimately the City Council will vote on whether to approve Hilton’s plan after the Planning and Permitting Department issues a recommendation based on yesterday’s hearing and other information. The department has until Oct. 6 to make its recommendation.
About 30 people testified at the hearing. Most testifiers, who included representatives of construction trades, supported the plan and said the project would help improve the state’s economy and main industry without overcrowding the landscape.
The plan represents the biggest update to Hilton Hawaiian Village since it opened in 1955, and would nearly double the number of time-share units on the property to 1,200 over about 10 years.
An initial tower rising 37 stories with 300 units is slated for the site of a bus-loading area along Kalia Road, and could break ground as early as next year to allow for an opening in 2015. A second tower rising 25 stories with 250 units would follow five or six years after the first tower opens, and would be on the site of the Rainbow Bazaar that would be replaced with a new retail complex.
Because the additional towers would be built on already developed parts of the resort, open space on the ground would not be sacrificed, while overall density would remain within allowable city limits.
Five people testified against Hilton’s plan, raising concerns that included negative impacts on traffic, view planes and sewer system.
"This is not responsible development," said Alethea Rebman, an attorney who lives in Waikiki near Hilton Hawaiian Village. "This is the densest area in Waikiki. To add two more towers is mind-boggling."
Elizabeth Churchill, another nearby resident, who works in the hospitality industry, expressed concerns that visitor experiences and the quality of life for residents are being hurt by growing congestion at the Ewa end of Waikiki. "When do we finally say enough is enough?" she testified.
Hilton said it plans traffic improvements along Kalia Road that include a pull-off lane for buses and trolleys, re-striped vehicle lanes and an improved pedestrian walkway to the beach.
The company also has completed an environmental impact statement and committed to pay for improvements to the city’s waste-water system along Kalia Road.
Jerry Gibson, area vice president for Hilton in Hawaii, said the project will create 480 construction jobs and about 700 permanent jobs when the master plan is complete.
Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, noted that the Waikiki Neighborhood Board voted to support the project, and said beefing up time-share inventory in Waikiki will help soften future visitor industry slumps.
Time-share units typically have higher average occupancy — north of 90 percent — compared with hotels because unit buyers essentially prepay much of their vacation costs and are more likely to travel even during bad times.
"It’s one of the missing pieces to Waikiki," Egged said.
