Hawaii Weekend Experience Delights LAI Attendees at 35th Biennial Congress

Trade winds, warm hospitality and fascinating insider's views of both projects and land use policies met the 60 attendees at November's 35th Biennial Congress/Weekend Experience with our friends in the Aloha Chapter. From the rooftops of Waikiki Outrigger properties to the historic runway of the Ford Island Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, to the sylvan and sacred glade of Lanikuhonua, Hawaii skipped not a beat. LAI is indebted to the Aloha Chapter not just for its organizational prowess, attention and well-crafted program, but also for extending its resources to entertain the some 60 attendees at a variety of events throughout the biennial congress.

President Roger Kallman opened the events of the three-day congress with a reception at the lavish Halekulani Hotel, Waikiki's finest. Roger was joined with the gracious remarks of Mark Hastert, President of the Aloha Chapter who set the stage for our tours and events. The sunset reception hosted by the members of the Aloha Chapter fostered an informal mixing of Chapter Presidents, the International Board of Governors and members from around the world. Following dispersal for dinner at Honolulu's finest restaurants the attendees assembled early Friday morning for two descriptive talks. Mel Kaneshige, Senior Vice-President of Outrigger Enterprises thoroughly described redevelopment plans for Outrigger's 8-acre site, running from Kalakaua Avenue to the shoreline. The site currently accommodates some 3,100 rooms or 10% of Waikiki's hotel capacity. However, the facilities are aging and Outrigger supports the city's objective of providing a gathering place to foster alternative activities to the use of the world famous Waikiki Beach. Waikiki plays weekly host to some 70-90 thousand guests, 40 thousand employees and 20 thousand residents. Outrigger's linear redevelopment plan would see it lose 320 rooms in favor of a retail, entertainment and pedestrian street paralleling the U.S. military's Fort DeRussy Park.

Next to the Outrigger site is the US Army's Fort DeRussy. Built in 1915, Fort DeRussy was a US Army coastal artillery based designed to protect Pearl Harbor. In 1950, it was deactivated and converted into one of the most amazing army bases anywhere including a stretch of Waikiki Beach, rest and recreation facilities and now host to the Hale Koa Hotel, a facility for active duty and retired military personnel. The 100-acre site remains largely undeveloped with lush landscaping but surrounded by the hotel complexes of Waikiki Beach. It stands as a complement to its next-door neighbor, the proposed Outrigger Hotel redevelopment project that will take advantage of Honolulu's 350-foot height limit. Demolitions and reconstruction will see a project of some 890-hotel rooms in 2 phases of $130,000,000.00 and $170,000,000.00 (US).

Punctuating the presentation, Mark Hastert described a redevelopment plan for the reconstruction of the famous International Market Place, located a few blocks south on Kalakaua Avenue. The International Market Place owned by the Queen Emma Foundation of which Mark is the President, will be redeveloped to recover its "gathering place” ambience. The 18-acre site is in a central location of Waikiki and offers a pedestrian passage between the busy visitor activities on Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues. The master plan for the redevelopment of the International Market Place is comprised of a retail and office redevelopment on 3 levels consisting of retail shops, reconstructed riverine environment, food hall court, 230,000 square feet of gross leaseable area and a linkage and parking complex for 220 vehicles. Mark expects this project will start construction in mid 2005 and present to the public a renewed pedestrian linkage to Waikiki Beach, which, in conjunction with the Outrigger projects will provide visitors more than the beach focus.

Completing the discussion on Waikiki revitalization was Cheryl Soon, Director of Transportation Services and former Planning Director for Honolulu. Building on the previous speakers, she advised that Honolulu had abandoned full master planning exercises in preference for focused projects that can balance and build upon Waikiki's historical link between the native peoples and its consumer market. She described Waikiki, meaning "Spouting Water”, as a place for the resurgence of natural themes upon which the City has expended significant funds in environmental projects, street infrastructure, sculptures, fountains, beach reconstruction, beach theatre and monthly festivals which close the principle thoroughfare. She described how the city and historic landowning trusts are working together to revitalize Waikiki with emphasis on a clear sense of place. Through its zoning ordinance, Honolulu has sought, since 1996, to produce water features, paths, preserve traditional views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach and introduce native plants, building materials and names. In terms of activities, the revitalization extends into sports for the revitalization of the International Market Place, the construction of statutes, the holding of free concerts, up to 100 cultural events a year: to demonstrate a diverse state and other festivals emphasizing pedestrian activities.

Having had enough indoors, Chapter representatives tookattendees on a walking tour of the Outrigger Reef Project, a rooftop over view of Waikiki, a march across its premier commercial district and onto tram buses where commentators described a parade of venues from Diamond Head, along the Ala Wai Canal, through Chinatown. Ultimately at the Pacific Club Aloha Chapter member Bruce Graham, after lunch, provided a fascinating review of the history and clash of the Hawaiian culture with the Western world. He described how land ownership and use in Hawaii owes much to its history as a monarchy until the late 19th century. Ownership to land has subsequently evolved through major land trusts, former royal lands and, since becoming a US territory and then a state, coordination with land ownership laws of the US. An accomplished scholar on the subject, Bruce gave the attendees a much clearer lens through which to view both land ownership, land reform and now the incipient Hawaiian homeland movement (known as the "secession” movement).

The group found it hard to leave the beautiful site of the Pacific Club below the rim of Punchbowl Crater and remount the trolleys for a return to Waikiki. That evening, the awards dinner was held in the Outrigger Reef where President Roger Kallman passed his two-year gravel to incoming President Larry Lund of the Ely Chapter. Dinner saw congratulations extended to LAI International award winners and new officers of the International Board of Governors.

Touring resumed on Saturday afternoon with a bus tour of the US Navy's Ford Island in the heart of Pearl Harbor. Recent arrangements between the Department of Defense and private developers will permit new housing to be built on the historic island to help alleviate the housing shortage that affects Honolulu.

The Ford Island Master Plan as described by Clint Churchill will maintain the central focus of the existing runways yet provide major investment in a historic adaptive reuse of existing "historic” hangars for a conference center and, notably, proposed "Military Aviation Museum of the Pacific”. The Museum will portray the history of military aviation in the Pacific and include exhibits emphasising the historic accomplishments of armed serve personnel including conflicts focussing on World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Cold War, the Vietnam Conflict and modern air power.

The bus tour then decamped at the offices of the Campbell Estates Development Corporation where principal Donna Goth described the development of a new city, Kapolei on the 43,250-acre Estate of James Campbell, acquired at $2.19 an acre 100 years ago. The thirty-two thousand acre master plan provides an alternative smart city housing location for burgeoning Honolulu. The average price house on the Island of Oahu for new housing is $399,000.00 (US) for an 1,800 square foot building on a traditional 5,000 square foot lot.

The formal activities of the 35th Biennial Congress concluded at the seaside retreat of the Campbell Estate known as Lanikuhonua. At sunset on the night of the moon's eclipse, this 10-acre lush luau dinner was accompanied by traditional Hawaiian hula dancers all of which proved an inspired conclusion to this 35th Biennial Congress of Lambda Alpha International.

Our thanks to Ian Lord, Simcoe Chapter for his great recap of the Hawaiian Weekend Experience.