Agency wants more public funds to replace Aloha Stadium

A state agency courting private developers to replace Aloha Stadium wants Hawaii lawmakers to boost public funding before seeking bids on the roughly estimated $400 million project.

The Department of Accounting and General Serv­ices would like a $350 million state contribution commitment before asking three developers to bid on building and maintaining a new stadium with around 30,000 seats in Halawa.

The expectation by DAGS comes after Hawaii lawmakers earlier this year cut $180 million from a $350 million allocation approved in 2019 for redeveloping the stadium site.

DAGS had planned to publish a request for stadium replacement proposals Dec. 15, but postponed the offering until early 2022 in hopes that lawmakers will restore their original public funding commitment.

“We do look forward to that commitment being met this coming year,” Chris Kinimaka, public works administrator for DAGS, said Monday during the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program.

DAGS last week described its delay as being due to a “pending administrative review and ongoing preparations for the start of the legislative session.”

Now it’s clear that the agency awaits a desired move by lawmakers to reverse this year’s $180 million funding cut.

Kinimaka said Monday that DAGS will not ask for more than $350 million from lawmakers.

The total being sought, according to Kinimaka, would help pay for a new stadium as well as some infrastructure needed to accommodate development of residential and commercial projects around a new stadium on the 98-acre Halawa site owned by the state.

DAGS is pursuing a separate competitive bid procurement for development of about 73 acres around a new stadium envisioned for housing, retail, restaurants, a hotel, offices and at least 4,000 parking spaces making up what project leaders have dubbed the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District, or NASED.

DAGS in October issued a preliminary request for proposals from private developers for the real estate surrounding the stadium.

Building out NASED is expected to take 15 to 20 years, with construction of a new stadium starting in 2023 and finishing two years later.

The 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium opened in 1975, and has required costly maintenance over decades to combat chronic rust and other problems. The facility was declared unsafe for use by spectators a year ago, which prompted the University of Hawaii to retrofit a practice field on its Manoa campus to accommodate football games this year.

DAGS initially intended to pick one developer for the entire 98-acre Halawa property with a new stadium, housing and commercial real estate uses. The agency selected three finalists to compete for the job a year ago, but then split the plan into two pieces earlier this year.

The three finalists entitled to bid on building and maintaining a new stadium to be managed by the Stadium Authority, a state agency, are Aloha Stadium District Partners, Aloha Stadium Hui Hilina‘i and Waiola Development Partners.