Time to pull the plug on Honey Bee USA

It was the late, great Yogi Berra who said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That might well be a truism in baseball — but for one troubled Honolulu developer, it deserves to be over now.

Honey Bee USA Inc., has been given chance after chance by the state Land Board on its planned Waikiki Landing at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. The promised boat-repair facility and restaurant-entertainment complex never got off the ground despite a 2009 agreement with the state; it has, however, racked up some $1.4 million in back rent and fees still owed to the state. The state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, for the third time, on Friday will ask the state Land Board to terminate the state’s lease with Honey Bee. With a history of past delinquencies and murky financial resources, it’s a no-brainer. It’s over.

Let’s perk up those parklets

Yes, we know the little “parklets” created around downtown and Kakaako districts on Friday comprised a mere demonstration project. If these mini-oases in the urban jungle are permitted where street parking stalls now exist, they will be nicer than the mockups that temporarily replaced parking stalls that day. Or, we certainly hope that is the case.

Even as a sketch, the unfurled AstroTurf rugs with folding chairs and tables looked uninspiring. If we’re going to lose our precious parking spots, let’s hope the replacements are worthy of the loss.