Steakhouse will share Ala Wai site with boats

Construction on Waikiki Landing, a planned commercial and entertainment center that is designed to redevelop the gateway to Waikiki and serve as the hub for boating and ocean activities at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, will begin in May.

Developer Honey Bee USA Inc. originally envisioned March 2013 as the opening month for its now $31 million project, which includes three buildings spanning two-state owned sites in the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. The new buildings will include 44,153 square feet of leaseable space and a 17,000-square-foot boat repair dock with parking stalls underneath.

Plans were pushed back after Honey Bee ran into challenges securing the state lease, flood-proofing the property and finding an available construction team. However, the company is moving ahead with the goal of opening in July 2015, said Hono­­­lulu attorney Keith Kiu­­chi, who represents Hide­­aki Shi­ma­kura, the Kyoto, Japan-based head of Honey Bee, and is an equity partner in the project along with Eddy Yoshino.

"I think this is going to be a very popular tourist and community destination," said Kiu­chi, who revealed the development’s first tenants Tuesday during a Waikiki Neighborhood Board meeting.

The project initially had a bumpy start in Waikiki, where some boaters criticized the impact on their community and some residents questioned the extreme mixed-use concept. However, it got mostly favorable reviews during the Tuesday meeting.

"We supported this project after a rough start," said Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairman Robert Finley. "I was impressed by what we saw tonight. It’s a great transition from concept to plan." 

Kiuchi said the community’s input dramatically shaped final development plans, which cost about $11 million more than originally envisioned and include more public amenities, such as an expanded boatyard repair space and boat services. Traffic mitigation plans also have been established for the two wedding chapels and the various activity providers, he said.

"We think the development will skew toward tourists; however, we’ve worked to make it attractive to locals, too," Kiu­chi said.

For starters, Ernesto Mera will be bringing a fine-dining steakhouse, called Luna Kai, to the fourth floor of the development’s Waterfront Marketplace, a four-story building fronting Ala Moana Boulevard. Foodies will recognize Mera as a former manger of Hy’s Steakhouse, a Waikiki landmark.

"There’s going to be a retractable roof so diners will have either a view of the ocean or the moon," Kigu­chi said. "There will be an emphasis on table service with some desserts and salads prepared tableside. It’s a little bit ‘Back to the Future’ with some South American twists since he’s from Peru." 

Kiuchi said the building’s third-floor tenant, Pier Thirty Group, is a popular Japa­nese operator that plans to offer breakfast and lunch with a heavy emphasis on seafood. Consultant Jo McGarry brought them on board, he said.

Herb Fuller of 808 Boats on Sand Island will operate a second-floor boat repair and marine supply store.

"He’s very well known in the industry," Kiu­chi said.

Hawaii Nui and Mehana Brewery, the Hilo-based company that was bought out of bankruptcy by Paul DeMare, will open a tasting space on the first floor in the base of the project’s clock tower. Tiki Town, formerly in the International Market Place, also will have space on the market’s first floor.

Activity providers such as Roberts Hawaii and Hawaiian Surf Adventures, which plans to run outrigger canoes into the Ala Wai Canal, will round out the main site.

The development’s two-story Net House, which sits along the Ala Wai, also has attracted Tropics, which is owned by Pat Kashani, who operates a similar concept in Puck’s Alley.

"He’s been working with Scott Nelson at Buzz’s in Lani­kai to come up with farm-to-table offerings that are paired with craft beers," Kiu­chi said.

Also on the boatyard repair site will be a wedding chapel run by Tutu USA, a Japa­nese company that has operated in other Hawaii venues for about two years.

Another wedding chapel, operated by Gloria Bridal, which has experience running the Sea Life Park chapel, also is planned for a two-story modern building that will replace an old fuel dock on the makai pier. The building, designed to resemble a glass ship, also will include a 10,000-gallon double-sided fuel tank and space for the U.S. National Kayak Team.

"We’ll level the old fuel dock in May," Kiu­chi said. "Once we do the demolition, we’ll put a construction fence up so access to the site will be limited. We think that will reduce complaints about homelessness." 

Kiuchi said the company also plans to tear down the aged and poorly maintained public bathrooms on the site once new facilities are built along the docks near the Net House site.

"We’ll have security, and it will be a very active site," he said. "Hopefully, our presence will improve the appearance and the safety."