Editorial: Tax credits will be issue for film industry

With “Hawaii Five-0” shooting its ninth season and a rebooted “Magnum P.I.” ready to premiere, along with movie-theater features in the works, the state’s film industry is on a roll. Local observers attribute the bustling pace to productions seeking to take advantage of the state’s tax credit for such projects. That’s surely a factor, as is our photogenic location.

A new cap on tax-credit reimbursements, set to start in 2019, would limit total reimbursement to $35 million per year — a drop from the estimated $58 million the state is expected to give back for productions this year. State lawmakers should stay tuned as they’ll likely be feeling the pressure to keep the industry’s cameras here.

Waiting for a new condo, or the train?

Dozens of people lined up on Friday for a first crack to purchase a condo in Azure Ala Moana, the first of several planned new high-rise residential towers near Ala Moana Center. Azure is slated to have 330 market-priced condos, of which 165 were released for sale to live-in buyers. Still in the works are 78 rental apartments for local tenants who earn no more than 80 percent of Honolulu’s median income.

But excitement for the neighborhood — tied, in part, to building of the city’s rail terminus station nearby — may fade, if the train’s arrival is delayed further. Rail construction was supposed to be completed in 2019, but some now doubt it will be finished even by the new completion date of late 2025.