As expected, Halawa is slated to retain its place as the hub of the state’s biggest spectator events.

An alternative site analysis released Thursday by the Aloha Stadium Authority marked a step in the process of replacing the 44-year-old facility and recommended a new stadium and ancillary development be built within the same 98-acre parcel.

The report was an initial step in an environmental impact statement to be led by Crawford Architects, which has worked on projects such as Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, Baltimore’s Camden Yards and Green Bay’s Lambeau Field and will spearhead the master planning of the Halawa project.

“Obviously, projects like this don’t come along that often,” Stacey Jones, senior partner and principal with Crawford Architects, said during Thursday’s news conference in Aloha Stadium’s hospitality room.

The proposed redevelopment of the site is “certainly well and truly in our wheelhouse,” he said. “Having said that, it’s something that we don’t take for granted. This is a very, very special project.

“This is a very special place. … So your facility will appeal internationally to a vast array of sport and entertainment opportunities.”

The alternative site study took into account five categories, including potential development costs, economic impact and current infrastructure. The University of Hawaii’s Manoa and West Oahu campuses, Ala Wai Golf Course, Kapiolani Regional Park and the Kalaeloa Airport were also among the six sites culled from an initial list of 18.

“Halawa scored first or equal first in every category,” Jones said. “That was not a predetermined outcome. That was just the way the cookie crumbles, so to speak. In an objective process, as much as possible, it won in all categories.”

On a 100-point scale, Halawa rated an 87, with the report stating, “The Halawa Site is the most ready for development. It has the transportation infrastructure in place in terms of visitor access and will only get better with the addition of the rail stop. … It is an opportunity to take something that is already highly used and accepted by the community, and to make it even better.”

UH West Oahu, which offers ample space for development and nearby rail access, was next at 69, with Kalaeloa last at 49. Jones said it would be “fantastic to have football back on (the UH) campus, but this facility needs to be a little bit larger.”

“It’s great from our perspective that what we’ve been looking at got validated through their due diligence,” Stadium Authority Chairman Ross Yamasaki said. “For me personally, I’m not surprised. It’s the current site, it has the location, it was made for that.”

The Legislature is considering a measure that would appropriate $350 million in general funds and bonds for the construction of a replacement for the 45-year-old facility with development to be overseen by the Hawaii Community Development Authority. Included are $150 million in revenue bonds, which would be repaid by proceeds from a planned public-private partnership designed to leverage transit-oriented development.

Chris Kinimaka, planning branch chief for the Department of Accounting and General Services, said the EIS process is expected to take 12 to 18 months. Cost of the EIS, including site selection and master planning, came in under $5 million out of $10 million allocated in 2017. The remainder will be used for future steps in the process, “when the time is ready to start moving on to possible request for proposals and moving on to construction,” Kinimaka said.

Jones said the specific location of the proposed 35,000-seat stadium within the Halawa footprint will be part of the discussion with the Stadium Authority during the master planning process. He said the capacity number “is pretty solid … but we might also be considering the ability to expand the stadium in the future.”

He envisions a new home for University of Hawaii football and concerts as well as “other sports, like soccer at an international and FIFA level; emerging sports in this country, like rugby; and some of the other entertainment opportunities coming along, such as e-sports.”

A nearby rail station will be integral in the master plan, and Honolulu’s transit project presents both a potential challenge and opportunity, Jones said.

“One of the challenges for us is, when will it be finished?” Jones said.

“Working out where to place the stadium considering the transit-oriented development opportunities being near the train station is both a challenge but a fantastic opportunity to be seized upon that we don’t often see in a lot of other cities.”

The launch of the EIS represents an incremental yet significant step toward replacing a facility that is showing its age. The authority announced in January the stadium will require at least $30 million in repairs over the next two years ($20 million in the 2020 fiscal year and $10 million in 2021), and a measure is making its way through the Legislature.

“We have to remember this has to coexist (with eventual construction of a new stadium) to keep it up and running,” stadium Manager Scott Chan said. “So there’s still an investment that needs to be made on this facility even if a decision is made to move forward to construct a new one.”