Editorial: Downtown needs a transformation

The impending closure of Walmart in Downtown Honolulu on or around April 21 has stirred up concern — for the accessibility of basic shopping needs for nearby residents, but also for the future of Fort Street Mall, a pedestrian corridor between Beretania Street and Aloha Tower that has long wobbled between good and bad times.

Walmart’s closing creates an immediate challenge for Downtown. But the trends that induced Walmart to close can also drive a Downtown transformation — and all is far from lost.

What’s needed now is support from the City and County, along with cooperation from the area’s property and business owners, in revitalizing Downtown by offering attractive options to live, work and play. With coordinated effort, this could ultimately result in a healthier, more attractive city.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated change in Honolulu — a transition to remote work that emptied out office buildings Downtown, and nationwide. The resultant shrinking customer base caused retailers like Walmart, dependent on high-volume sales, to retreat. But that doesn’t mean that the collapse of Downtown will follow.

New ventures are already underway.

Signs of confidence in Downtown’s future include office building conversions to housing, and exciting, entrepreneurial storefronts. These present the tantalizing promise that Downtown can be a lively, safe and rewarding place to be.

Projects already in the pipeline include the conversion of the Davies Pacific Center at 841 Bishop St. from office building to residential condominiums, with up to 400 units of workforce housing. Mauka of that, 1132 Bishop St., which also abuts Fort Street Mall, is being transformed into The Residences at Bishop Place, holding 493 apartments, including 250 units priced to be affordable for households earning 80% to 120% of area median income.

But shabby storefronts along Fort Street pose a stickier problem, as does the corridor’s reputation as a dirty, unsafe magnet for drug users and panhandlers. The city already has responded to problems with crime and sanitation by noticeably clearing the walkway, but upkeep and improvements will need to be sustained.

Here, as in Chinatown, foot patrols by uniformed police officers can make a dramatic difference. Businesses should also consider pooling their resources to polish up the corridor by cleaning more often, keeping walkways clear and using better lighting.

More governmental intervention can help. Small businesses can be linked with loans or grants to help get — or keep — a storefront open. And the city can facilitate “pop-up” temporary usage of spaces (including the Walmart building), encouraging activity and foot traffic.

The city could also support and promote public events on Fort Street, such as a weekly street market with fresh foods, flowers and crafts.

Regrettably, Walmart’s windowless, fortress-like presence and lack of landscaping did little to attract pedestrians in this high-profile segment of Downtown. Going forward, the city would do well to support the next property occupant in boosting street-level appearances and activity, and nurturing pride in this important area.

That’s squarely in line with the city’s transit-oriented development plan for this district, which recognizes that Downtown and Aloha Tower “together communicate the city’s history, culture, and values.” The TOD Plan calls for “day and evening uses” near the Downtown rail station and a “revitalized” Fort Street Mall.

Real estate studies predict that thousands of units of new housing will open in Downtown/Chinatown in the next few years; it’s possible that this corner will morph into an attractive, mixed-use hub with shops, professional offices and a larger entity (a church or gym?) on lower floors, and housing above — an exciting prospect.

Until that time, though, care must be taken to keep Fort Street Mall busy and safe, day and night. Honolulu cannot allow its historic Downtown to decay.