Testimony mostly favors condo-hotel

A plan to build a luxury condominium-hotel tower on the site of King’s Village in Waikiki received a largely favorable response at a city public hearing Thursday, though some objections were raised over the tower exceeding standard height, density and setback rules.

A development partnership among local firms Kobayashi Group, The MacNaughton Group and BlackSand Capital LLC presented its proposal for the 246-unit tower dubbed 133 Kaiulani to a hearings officer and staff planner of the city Department of Planning and Permitting.

The tower is proposed for 1 acre occupied by the King’s Village retail complex, Prince Edward Apartments and Hale Waikiki mauka of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.

About 75 people attended the hearing, which DPP held to help inform the public about the plan and solicit feedback that helps the department’s director make a recommendation to the City Council on whether to approve a Waikiki Special District Permit for 133 Kaiulani.

Of 23 people who shared their thoughts at the hearing, 17 supported the developer’s plan, though 10 of the supporters either work with the developer or in the construction industry.

Chester Kaneshiro, president of the Tanaka of Tokyo restaurant chain, which spent 25 years at King’s Village until moving out nine days ago to make way for the tower, said being displaced was difficult, but he welcomes what is planned.

“Our perspective is BlackSand’s redevelopment plan is what the east end of Waikiki desperately needs,” he said. “The area has been in decline and needs to be revitalized.”

Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, said 133 Kaiulani will help increase the number of hotel rooms for Waikiki, Hawaii’s main tourism engine, which has 4,000 fewer hotel rooms than it had at its peak before many properties combined rooms, shifted to timeshare or made other changes.

“We believe this is going to be a tremendous addition to Waikiki,” he said.

Bob Finley, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, told the DPP representatives that the board voted 11-1 last year to support the developer’s conceptual plan, including exceeding the parcel’s 240-foot height limit by building to 350 feet, because of benefits that include reduced impacts to certain views and a $1 million community benefits package.

“Building a tall, thin building has less impacts on view planes, which are actually not protected by law, than a square, rectangular building that does block view planes,” he said.

The developer is seeking to build the tower under city Planned Development-Resort regulations that allow “flexibility” on height, density and setback limits when “timely, demonstrable contributions benefiting the community and the stability, function, and overall ambiance and appearance of Waikiki are produced.”

Separately, under a 2012 City Council amendment to Waikiki Special District development rules, the Council can approve buildings up to 350 feet as long as they don’t interrupt views of Diamond Head or the ocean horizon from Punchbowl lookouts, and views of the Koolau Range from Kalakaua Avenue fronting Fort DeRussy.

Kathy Inouye, Kobayashi Group’s chief operating officer, said 133 Kaiulani satisfies these regulations.

“No variance is being requested,” she said.

Project representatives said the tower’s location on the property puts it between the Punchbowl lookouts and the Aston Waikiki Beach hotel, though to stay within this sight line and not obscure a piece of Diamond Head, the proposed tower needs to encroach into what is called a transitional height setback by 20 feet along Kaiulani Avenue and 25 feet along Koa Avenue.

The transitional height setback pertains to how far back the higher portions of a building must be from a property line.

Development team members said staying within the 240-foot limit would produce a thicker building that blocks more views the city wants to preserve. Additionally, the developer said it has positioned the tower almost completely behind the Hyatt’s Ewa tower to minimize blocking ocean views of mauka property owners.

Egged said 133 Kaiulani will fit “perfectly” into the existing neighborhood. which includes the twin 364-foot Hyatt towers.

Still, many nearby residents will have their views degraded by the project.

“It’s very hard to lose your ocean view when you worked very hard to have it,” said Marilyn Katzman.

Katzman was one of six testifiers who expressed concerns or opposition to the project.

Denise Boisvert, a resident in the Governor Cleghorn Apartments building mauka of the Hyatt, criticized 133 Kaiulani as a “gigantic wall of a tower” and said the city has been too accommodating to developers seeking to exceed standard zoning limits.

“You cannot hand out approvals on skyscrapers the way the Costco lady hands out samples,” she said. “Pedestrians will need to look straight up to see the sky.”

Kim Jorgensen, another Governor Cleghorn resident, complained that he will have to endure 30 months of construction noise from 133 Kaiulani, and suggested that the developer should be required to install double-pane windows in his building, which was built in 1964 with single-pane glass and jalousie windows.

Jorgensen also said the city is being enticed by the developer’s $1 million community benefits package, which includes $500,000 for Waikiki beach replenishment, $200,000 to help the homeless in Waikiki and $200,000 to keep public bathrooms in Waikiki open after 10 p.m.

Some representatives of the Unite HERE Local 5 union, representing hotel workers, expressed concerns over whether job projections from the developer would be realized given that people who buy condotel units can use them as residences.

The developer said operating the tower is expected to take 320 full-time and 64 part-time workers. At least 80 percent of units are expected to be rented out for hotel use, based on historical use at other projects.

DPP will accept written comments on the proposed project through Monday. The City Council will hold public hearings on the requests to exceed height, density and setback limits. If those are approved, the DPP director will formulate a recommendation on whether to approve a Waikiki Special District Permit.

Written testimony may be faxed to 768-6743 or mailed to 650 S. King St., 7th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813.