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Any new news, updates or information about Kaka’ako can be found here

Catch up on what’s happening in Kaka’ako. View our latest monthly newsletter here.

Historic Ala Moana Pumping Station

All thirteen KIA Board members were re-elected in December for another year. The new Board President is Leslie Miasnik, with Bobbie Lau as the 2014 Vice President, and Miyuki Almario will continue at the KIA Secretary/Treasurer for another year.

A presentation on the joint KSBE and Castle & Cooke mixed-use project to be located on Block B was presented to the KIA Board by Lee Cranmer of KSBE and Andrew Furuta of Castle & Cooke. The proposal will be submitted to HCDA this month, with a public hearing in March. Block B is bordered by Keawe, Auahi and Pohukaina streets. The existing property consists of a two-story warehouse. Block B will tie in with the construction of Block A, which is a mixed-use development. The Collection is on Block E, and SALT is Block F. A pedestrian pathway ties all blocks together, with the rail coming off Block A.

Castle & Cooke will be responsible for the makai portion of the block - a mixed-use low rise building, L-shaped with surface parking. The project will have six stories, with ground floor commercial and five levels of residential 1-2-3 bedrooms.

KSBE will control the commercial units built by Castle & Cooke. The 10,000 square feet of retail will have a restaurant on the corner of Keawe and Auahi streets, with maybe a breakfast cafe and other retail spaces UPS, dry cleaners, neighborhood-focused commercial tenants, etc.

KSBE will develop the mauka portion of the block. There will be 88 units of rental reserved housing with three levels of parking. below. Also, the 458 Keawe building will be retained by KSBE. It is two stories, and they hope to have a 12,000 square foot ground floor for a market (perhaps health food to compliment a general market on Block A).

KIA annual dues have been coming in for 2014. An individual KIA member, Lenora Springer, sent her check and a note to Sherry Goya, KIA Executive Director which was nice to receive. It said, “Thanks for sticking with KIA for such a long time holding it together through so many changes.” Mahalo also to Lenora, an individual landowner in Kakaako, for being a valued KIA member for many years.

Loretta Yajima tours a group of Chinese visitors from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia through the Children's Discovery Center. Mr. Genshing Niu, founder of the Lao Niu Foundation in China, loved the Hawaii museum so much that he asked Loretta to help him build children's museums throughout China. She has been working with the Foundation and government officials in China on this project over the past two years. The first children's museum will open in Beijing in 2014. The foundation traveled with two videographers from China to document the group's visit to the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center. The documentary is being created for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Lao Niu Foundation next year.

Once the first two children's museums in China are completed, Loretta and Liane Usher will work with the museum staff in China to educate them on the important role that "play" has in helping children learn and how to utilize informal learning environments as effective teaching tools for young children. These concepts are not widely understood or practiced outside of the United States, and our Hawaii museum will become the model adopted by China to help children there learn.

Third Annual Kakaako Community Clean Up

Earth Day 2014

Volunteer Clean-Up

Mother Waldron Park to

Waterfront Plaza

Saturday, April 19, 2014

8:00am to 11:00am

RSVPs have been coming in for the first KIA General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, January 29th from 11:30am at the Honolulu Design Center’s Cupola Room (2nd floor). Up to two attendees per KIA member company will be provided lunch and information at no charge. Any KIA guest after two will be charged $10. Any non-KIA member may attend for $12 per person.

The guest speakers will be Kakaako Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga, OHA Trustee Peter Apo, and HCDA Executive Director Anthony Ching.  All speakers will offer updates, insights, and be available for questions.

RSVPs with company and attendee’s name(s) should be emailed to Sherry Goya, KIA Executive Director at sgoyallc@aol.com. She will always reply to confirm receipt of the reservation.

NOTE: There will be a charge of $10 for anyone who makes a reservation but does not attend, unless canceling before January 20th or email a replacement name by January 27th. Parking is limited, so please carpool or walk to the meeting, if possible.

Are you opening a new location? Got a fundraiser you’d like to promote? If you do and would like to share it through our monthly newsletter, please contact  Sherry Goya for more information.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014 from 11:30am

Lunch included for member and one guest

Cupola Events Theater

at the

Honolulu Design Center

Media5 Architecture

Leslie Miasnik

345 Queen Street, Suite 901

Honolulu, HI 96813

Phone: (808) 524-2040

Fax: (808) 476-0368

Email: lmiasnik@m5architecture.com

For the third year in a row, thanks to KIA Board Member Steve Sullivan and a great committee, Saturday, April 19th, will celebrate “Earth Day 2014.” Volunteers will be meeting at Mother Waldron Park at 8:00am with clean-up to begin at 8:30am and ending at Waterfront Plaza about 11:00am. There will be free validated parking at Restaurant Row.

Clean-up efforts are sponsored by KIA member, The Shidler Group, as well as Team Hawaii Going Green, Totally Against Graffiti (T.A.G.), Kakaako Improvement Association, and Building Owners and Managers Association Hawaii (BOMA Hawaii). For more information and to RSVP, please contact Steve Sullivan at ssullivan@shidler.com or 532-4751.