There were pleas, a petition and a protest. But there was no resolution to a landlord-tenant disagreement, and the Hawaii Kai Foodland was forced to close a year ago. Now the local supermarket chain is planning a comeback.
Foodland and Hawaii Kai landowner Kamehameha Schools are considering building a new shopping center on a narrow strip of vacant land between Kalanianaole Highway and Hawaii Kai marina not far from Foodland’s former store.
Some residents question the use of that site even though they miss not having Foodland nearby.
Kamehameha Schools has been polling area residents by phone about their desire to have Foodland as well as other retailers and restaurants in such a project.
The landowner is in a preliminary phase of what it expects will be lengthy community discussions to determine whether a retail complex on the site is feasible, according to Kamehameha Schools spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.
"We’re kind of in the early stages," he said. "We understand this is going to be a long process."
Foodland’s closure last July left one of Oahu’s largest communities with one grocery store, Safeway. The loss reduced grocery shopping options and even sparked some outrage mostly directed at the owner of Koko Marina Center, where Foodland, a kamaaina family-owned chain, had been for 48 years.
The center said it couldn’t agree on new lease terms with Foodland, and instead leased the space to Walgreens and Petco, which opened recently.
Foodland operates an upscale-format Foodland Farms store about three miles away in Aina Haina but promised Hawaii Kai customers it would try to find another way to serve their community.
"So many of them have told us that they believe a community the size of theirs needs a second supermarket and they like Foodland because we care about the community and are the only local supermarket remaining with stores statewide," Foodland spokeswoman Sheryl Toda said in a statement. "We know that the process required to make this store a reality will be lengthy, but we are inspired by the desire of our customers to see us return to Hawaii Kai."
The new site was once planned for commercial development, but is zoned for preservation.
The preservation zoning, combined with the feeling by some area residents that Hawaii Kai is maxed out with development, suggests that Foodland and Kamehameha Schools will face opposition.
"I miss Foodland, but that doesn’t mean I want to see it on preservation land," said Marian Grey, a Hawaii Kai resident who serves on the area neighborhood board.
Elizabeth Reilly, another neighborhood board member who along with Grey is a member of the preservation-minded group Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, said the site being considered for development is a prominent piece of the main entryway to Hawaii Kai. "What does that do to the entrance to the community?" she said.
Reilly prefers to see the site — which she refers to as "the great lawn" — remain undeveloped.
The parcel is mostly covered by grass and a handful of trees but is not particularly well maintained.
Paulsen said the site’s high visibility and access make it well suited for development. The 4.5-acre parcel was long ago slated for commercial development as part of 14 acres fronting the Hawaii Kai marina, Kalanianaole Highway and Keahole Street.
As part of litigation over development rights in Hawaii Kai between the city and Kamehameha Schools and developers, the 14 acres of preservation-zoned land was slated for up to 192,000 square feet of retail and office space, according to a 1996 environmental impact report prepared for the city as part of a proposed settlement.
Information wasn’t available Thursday to show whether the City Council approved any discretionary land-use approvals for the site and several other parcels covered by the proposed settlement.
However, a few of the other parcels formerly zoned for agriculture or preservation have since been developed with homes.
The 14 acres include a city-owned dog park and park-and-ride facility that Kamehameha Schools may have the option of relocating, a vacant parcel across from Costco owned by the trust and four acres owned by the Hawaii Kai Marina Community Association designated for a yacht club.
