Vacant Kakaako lot to become fun zone

A Hawaii extreme sports athlete plans to liven up a dingy block in Kakaako with a year-round fairgrounds featuring a stationary surfing wave, skateboard park and go-kart track.

Billy Balding, a competitive canoe paddler, tow-in surfer and triathlete, has arranged to lease a 3-acre parcel from Kamehameha Schools near Kakaako Makai Gateway Park to develop the project that he also envisions will include a miniature golf course, a rock-climbing wall, a couple of kiddie carnival rides and food offerings.

"We’ve never had a fairgrounds in Hawaii," he said.

Inspired by the kid inside him, Balding, 48, has been thinking about trying to open such a complex for 20 years. "You only live once," he said. "You either go big or go home. I’m going big."

Kamehameha Schools is on board with Balding’s plan because it will brighten up a blighted area and expand a limited variety of fun things to do in the area, which is undergoing a slow transformation from a largely industrial neighborhood to a place where people live, work and play.

Christian O’Connor, a senior asset manager for the trust, said Balding’s project will provide "lively and entertaining" new activities that draw more people to Kakaako and serve a growing number of people who live in the community where Kamehameha Schools plans to develop several residential towers, stores and restaurants.

Balding still needs to finalize project details with Kamehameha Schools and obtain a development permit from the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency that governs development in Kakaako.

A presentation to the agency is scheduled for Feb. 6. A decision on a permit is scheduled for March 6.

If leasing and permitting work come to fruition, Balding hopes to open the activity park in early summer.

The idea to establish such a park stemmed from a desire to open a pool in Hawaii that produces a curling or barreling wave that would attract visiting and local surfers, especially during the winter months when Hono­lulu’s South Shore has small or no swells.

Including calmer rides such as a small Ferris wheel and a spinning ride called the Mind Winder in addition to miniature golf and go-karts aim to attract a broader spectrum of users.

Balding said some activities such as go-kart racing and surfing will cost a fee, while other parts of the fairgrounds will be free to experience. At different times, park attractions would be available for birthday parties and other private events, he said.

The block slated for Balding’s project used to be a car dealership but has been largely vacant for several years, except for seasonal uses that included a haunted house, skating rink and roller derby matches.

The site also is about a block from the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, which was one of the first revitalization projects developed in Kakaako makai and opened in 1998 at the site of a former garbage incinerator.