Ala Moana Regional Park renovations proposed
COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
Restoring and upgrading McCoy Pavilion is among several concepts being proposed for Ala Moana Regional Park.
COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
Ala Moana Regional Park will have a larger walkway along the beach, eliminating the parking along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive. Additional parking will be made on the mauka side of the park.
COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
Ala Moana Regional Park will have a larger walkway along the beach, eliminating the parking along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive. Additional parking will be made on the mauka side of the park.
COURTESY CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
Restoring and upgrading McCoy Pavilion is among several concepts being proposed for Ala Moana Regional Park.
Among proposed improvements at Ala Moana Regional Park are a widened walkway fronting the beach, more grass across the sprawling campus and new nonvehicular entry at the end of Piikoi Street.
In advance of a public meeting and open-house event, set to get underway at 6 p.m. Thursday at the park’s McCoy Pavilion, maps and renderings detailing ideas for the conceptual plan can be found at ouralamoanapark.com. Comments can also be submitted on the website.
What the public says about the conceptual plan will be taken into consideration when a master plan for the long-term future of the 119-acre park is drafted later this year, city officials said.
Chris Dacus, an executive assistant for the city Parks and Recreation Department, said the overwhelming sentiment expressed by people who’ve offered input so far is that they want Ala Moana’s character to be preserved.
THE HISTORY OF ALA MOANA PARK
1928
The onetime dump site is deeded to the city by the Territory of Hawaii.
1934
President Franklin Roosevelt dedicates the entry portals to the new Ala Moana Park.
1955
A sand beach is constructed.
1970
The city decides to use Magic Island exclusively for recreational purposes.
1974
McCoy Pavilion is built.
“Someone coming to the park when this plan is implemented many years in the future won’t see much of a difference in the character and sense of place of the park,” Dacus said.
But an overhaul is critical for the busy park because it has been neglected for decades, he said, pointing out that three previous master plans were largely ignored.
The draft conceptual plan that’s being presented consists of the most popular ideas offered by the public and then formalized by Biederman Redevelopment Ventures and Associates and its subcontractors. Biederman was given a three-year, $1.2 million contract last year to oversee the master plan.
One proposal now being considered calls for doing away with most of the parking along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive and using that footage to double the width of the sidewalk, thereby creating what city officials describe as a “destination promenade.”
The broader sidewalk would also allow the city to plant more trees and install more benches along the path, Dacus said. The wall separating the sand from the sidewalk would remain in place.
Many of the parking stalls lost along the main drag would instead be relocated to a revamped parking area between McCoy Pavilion and the lawn bowling area, as well as other areas on the mauka side of the park.
A reconfiguration of parking along the mauka side of Ala Moana Park Drive to angled stalls from parallel stalls would allow more stalls to be placed there, Dacus said.
Another proposal would broaden the recreational space along the two sides of the Magic Island parking lot by reducing the number of stalls in that area to 360 from 431, Dacus said.
The recreational space there is among the most treasured in the park, and the plan would create more space, especially on the marina side, he said. Again, to make up for spaces lost there, additional parking would be provided on the mauka side.
Also in the works is a plan for more grass and trees in the park by installing a “boxed culvert” to cover up the canal that runs parallel to Ala Moana Boulevard.
Such a move, Dacus said, could “increase the grass space in the park substantially.” He added, “We also increase access to the park because at the moment it acts as a moat.”
By covering the canal, the city could remove four smaller bridges that now connect its two sides and are costly to maintain, he said. The double-arched “historic bridge” that was part of the original park design and is tied to the Hawaiian pond on the Diamond Head end of the park would remain, according to the current plan.
The conceptual plan also includes a Piikoi Street entrance that would be open to pedestrians and bicyclists only, Dacus said, noting that the park’s original plan, dating back to the 1930s, also envisioned a Piikoi entrance.
“We realize that in the future, people are going to be using the park differently because of the changing nature of the area,” he said, alluding to the explosive high-rise residential development occurring in Kakaako. “So we’re enhancing the pedestrian connectivity by bringing a whole bunch more mauka-makai paths through the park.”
Another idea is to establish a children’s playground, near the L&L concession, with the help of private funding by community partners, Dacus said. “The city can only do so much at the park,” he said. “So it is important to develop some public-private partnerships to help develop this public space for public use.”
No cost estimates for the proposed improvements will be made until they reach the draft master plan stage this summer, Dacus said. The final master plan, which will require an environmental impact statement, will take about another year to complete.
The city has already begun to implement a nine-point, short-term improvement plan that includes a 2.9-acre exercise path, 40 monkeypod trees along Ala Moana Boulevard, adding new employees including a park ranger unit and stepping up maintenance of comfort stations.
Other short-term improvements that should be underway soon including the installation of two beach volleyball courts and improved irrigation.
Not everyone is happy with the attention the Caldwell administration is devoting to the park.
Council Chairman Ernie Martin has stated several times that too many resources are being devoted to Ala Moana Park when there are major parks throughout the island in need of overhauls. He noted that in his district alone, ball fields in Waialua and Kahuku have lighting systems that haven’t been fixed, while Haleiwa District Park has fallen into disrepair, he said.
But Dacus defended the administration’s actions and noted that Ala Moana’s nickname from its early days has been “the people’s park.”
“Ala Moana Park is the one park that everyone on the island uses,” he said.
58 responses to “Ala Moana Regional Park renovations proposed”
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THE INEVITABLE is happening. Ala Moana Beach Park will now become an EXCLUSIVE PARK for the wealthy new residents of Kakaako. If everyone had been following the marketing efforts by the sales and marketing staff for HUGHES, et al–you would note that “AMBP” is depicted as the “BACKYARD” for the new Condo-Residents of Kakaako. NOTE: It is the intention of City/County to eliminate various “vehicle” entrances–under the guise of “widened walkways”. Government appears to “giveth”, however they are really only “taking-away”, and at the Taxpayers expense (“insult to injury”). In less than 5 years–everyone will be compelled to ride THE RAIL because there will be NO PARKING–anywhere. And, MOST IMPORTANT all citizens will be stripped of and denied the simplest forms of CIVIL LIBERTIES… PLEASE–WAKE-UP!! All the other published FOO-FOO-DUST about who is appointed to what is totally irrelevant, and purposely meant to distract everyone–to argue and debate personalities, in lieu of THE REAL ISSUES. FOCUS ON THE ISSUES–NOT THE PERSONALITIES! ONLY YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE; NOT SOME PUPPETED-BOZO ON A BALLOT…
Agree that all the “sudden” attention to AMBP has some underlying nefarious intentions, though it is one of THE most utilized parks on island that sees a LOT of wear & tear.
Please let us know how you arrived at the “Exclusive” conclusion. Similarly, the “eliminate various “vehicle” entrances” conclusion is also puzzling. What civil liberties are being taken away?
The biggest renovation I see in that picture is that they got rid of the homeless.
Ha ha!!!
Do we need this? Can we afford this?
Anybody else remember that refrain?
Feeding the ego, it will be Calwell Pavillion.
Caldwell is a humble man. Not going to happen.
wee willy…you’re such a T * W – A + T
Yes but don’t you think a lot of things he is doing is to create his “legacy”? Bike path, ala mo park, etc. etc. Reminds me of former Mayor Harris that was more interested in doing things to make him look good to the tourists than actually fixing Honolulu’s problems.
LOL.
Our Park system’s demise will be known as Kirks achilles tendon!
Yes. Ala Moana is heavily used and “pedestrian” access means more users coming by bus and rail.
People will complain about the plan having fewer parking spaces. Yes, we need to be less dependent on driving our vehicles, but people pack their surfboards, SUP boards, and picnic gear to the park. These people will need parking spaces. Oh…perhaps the parking will be metered…watch out for that.
There should be ample space on rail for stuff that people can carry.
But otherwise those coming by bus would need to rent boards or board storage spaces, hibachis, etc.
Concessions can be expanded by providing plate lunch wagons and even those small hot dog stands in mainland parker.
Um yeah, that’s what local people do, rent boards and buy crappy expensive food from vendors as they catch the bus (rail will never make there) to the beach. This rendering looks like it’s for the nearby residents in Kakaako not for the people of the island. Wiliki – you’re out of touch with what MOST people want. You see only what you want to see painted by other people who are out of touch.
Where are you getting your info that they are allowing anything other than passengers on the tram? They don’t even have seats. How are you going to safely secure a bike or board or even luggage from the airport stop?
By the by, exactly how much is a one way ride going to cost?
shhh whs1966, don’t give Kirk any ideas on how to come up with the money to do his “redevelopment”.
Let Howard Hughes, and all the developers in that area foot the bill. They are bringing in the most impact to the existing infrastructure with their money making buildings. Give back, or is the culture of exploitation that will continue throughout our Hawaiian landscape. Watch out outer islands, you are next.
Watch out we wonlhit want a reputation of being unfriendly to business.
“We”…already have that reputation. So why not max it out and get something in return out of it in THIS case? Shameless shill wee willy
Too late! Thanks to your friends in the DPH.
they’re already ready to pony up for things they want. Drop in the bucket for them. I would never ask for that – keep it the people’s park!
With an increasing population, more parking should be included in this plan. How about a public parking structure?
Might ruin the views and “island feeling” for the new multi million $$ condo owners
Good one Shopoholic.
Nice!
Another money pit paid by folks who hardly goes to the park. The mayor wants the park to look good so when his $$$ friends looks out at the park from their million dollar windows, Ala Moana will remind them of Central Park.
OK, people. wiliki appears to be a paid shill for cladwell. So, it’s not just HART that he gets paid to gush over. Nah, it’s more like hearing regurgitated penguin poop.
wiliki, do you work in the same office as ub boo? Or is he in the HART administration luxury suite?
BTW, cladwell used to be “humble”. However, he seems to always live in upscale historic homes for the property tax rate of $300 a year. So, basically always living the good life. So, his apparent “humility” is just more shibai and waha.
BTW – all the people in the pictures seem to be out-of-towners like the Kakaako enclave would have living there. Hey, cladwell, did you hire a mainland firm to do the promo work? Should have had some locals in the pics. That way we might have believed all these improvements were intended for even people in low places, not just you high muckamucks.
Are the property and condo owners from across the street i.e. the Ala Moana Shopping Center and the new condo owners being built there going to pay or these improvements? They’re the major beneficiaries of these proposed upgrades.
I don’t really see how you figured the beneficiaries out. I go to the beach park a number of times per week, and most of the people there are tourists, and the same locals, who, just a guess, don’t live across the street. Well, that and the 8 million homeless. But, I will say that I didn’t take a survey, so my conclusion is purely from observation.
“. . . Biederman Redevelopment Ventures and Associates . . .” They still aren’t registered to do business in Hawaii and still apparently do not have a general excise tax license.
It’s all who you know…
Less parking!!! What kind of operational moron fugues out how to serve more people in the future with less infrastructure? There is already inadequate parking at most of our parks. Bigger side walks and more trees may look nice and be convenient for the rich guys that walk across the street from their sky high apartments … but what about the rest of those who need a place to park the cars that carry our beach toys [surf boards, etc]. Also noted that they got sand in 1955. It was “miss appropriated” from Waimea Bay by Castle & Cook. The governor had to step in to stop the greed.
The kind whose initials are “K” and “C”.
This is a heavily used park. The improvements are much needed. Parking will always be an issue. Just do it!
Bdpapa, don’t grumble when they raise your taxes to pay for these “improvements”.
This is for the good of all, a worthy project.
Fix and Improve the bathrooms and add a few more showers. Could be done for cheap with out wasting millions paying some fool from NYC.
This place is a Joke by the way politicians Throw money away !
The park needs an upgrade! These ideas seem consistent with its current uses and if you look at the plans, there is no decrease in parking. We should try to avoid the pervasive “let’s keep it crappy, so more people don’t use it” mantra. Nicer might, in fact, be nicer.
So don’t grumble when they raise your taxes to pay for this.
The proposed version of the park looks nice. I just want to see more bicycle racks. We don’t need more parking spaces.
Good Grief Lady! You probably have tea and toast in the mornings with Denby Fawcett… Maybe you could also consider operating a Poodle-Primp-Parlor for the canine-set at HUGHESLAND (or a better Pooper-Scooper(?)..
Outdoor Circle type. Won’t even entertain the thought of buses having ads even though most people WON’T be distracted or offended by it all AND it helps the bus system at a time when more & more funds are being syphoned off for the bottomless rail pit. NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY
As usual -typical selfish bicyclist!
Have you considered that taking out parking and putting in crossings from the new Ala Moana development will take away from access to families who will not be living in the new Ala Moana development. You will be making a big mistake if you don’t consult those people who use the park often – some daily.
Please don’t do anything until you solve the vagrancy problem. Not nice to see the rich coming out of their million dollar condos to see vagrants expelling and exposing themselves next to the nearest bush.
Here we go again. All kinds of unnecessary stuff. Its a plan for contractors. When will this jacka$$ mayor get lost. Go mess up a park on the west side they dont give a rip. Leave Ala Moan park alone.
I don’t like Ernie Martin and don’t support him but I agree, there are too many parks that need to be upgraded before we look at spending ungodly amounts on Ala Moana park. Caldwell already made a proposal to “develop” ala moana park and it was shot down. BTW, how much of our tax dollars was wasted on this PR job to convince the public? Caldwell is looking more like our former mayor (Jeremy Harris) that tried to do worthless things just to make him look good to the tourists and to create his “legacy”. Parking has always been a problem at the park, yet nothing is being done to create more parking spaces and improve traffic flow so more people can enjoy the park. IMHO, these improvements are superficial and disappointing since Honolulu has so many more pressing issues that need to be attended to first, especially with a limited amount of tax dollars available. Wish we had a better candidate to vote for but none of the contenders (ernie and Duke Aiona) are any better than what we have now.
That, I agree with!
This must be an election year?……remember, the Homeless don’t vote.
Didn’t see anything in the “plan” for sand replenishment and sand erosion control. Severe erosion is occurring especially in the area from Magic Island to the raised area in the middle of the park. Notice that the sales brochure like renderings show nice wide beaches. Also not addressed is the water quality in the pond across the street from the yacht harbor. The $1.2 million is just for the master plan. Lot more bucks will still yet to be spread around to the “favored” consultants for design. Quid pro quo.
Cover the canal, pour more concrete, build more buildings because Honolulu doesn’t have enough. Move the parking that the older folks use to make getting to the beach easier. Can you say cronyism and job creation?
Build a condo on it with a rail station. Start the Condo prices at $10 million and $100 million for the Penthouses. That’s what CADwell really wants.
UNBELIEVABLY DUMB IDEAS BY PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING MORE CONSTRUCTIVELY.
Did I miss something? When did they change Ala Moana Beach Park to Ala Moana Regional Park? Never heard it referred to as Regional Park before. Maybe since they proposing to make upgrades, they’ll upgrade the name too. I don’t know…
we can’t even maintain what we have and they want to “improve” it?