Mokulele Airlines Offers First Commercial Flight from Kalaeloa Airport

Mokulele Airlines, the state of Hawaii's third-largest carrier with 4 percent of the interisland market, has launched its first commercial flight from Kalaeloa Airport in West Oahu today.  The airline will offer flights from Kalaeloa, Oahu to Kahu­lui, Maui at 7:35 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. every day with flights from Kahu­lui to Kalaeloa at 6:15 a.m., 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Dave Berry, the Chief Operating Officer for Mokulele, stated, "We think this will be a great opportunity for Moku­lele, and the folks in this area have embraced us. We're very excited to open this new airport. The residents in West Oahu have responded very positively to our efforts and the affordable airfares, as well as the convenience, too. You don't have to fight the H-1."  Berry added that Mokulele is looking at expanding and adding some additional routes from Kalaeloa in the next couple of months.  "Probably Molokai would be next, and then we're considering Kapa­lua (Maui) and Lanai. With our current nine planes (in the overall fleet), we may have one or two flights a day to Molo­kai by the end of the summer."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-1-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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Waikiki Improvement Association Suggests Program to Send Homeless Back to Mainland

Rick Egged, the president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, has stated that his organization may create and fund a program to pay for the airfare for homeless people living in Hawaii who would like to return to the mainland United States.  This program would be similar to the one proposed by the state Legislature last year called Return to Home. The state Department of Human Resources rejected the Return to Home program due to a concern that some would view it as an open invitation to purchase a one-way ticket to Hawaii with a guaranteed return flight home.

According to a recent study, Oahu's homeless population has increased by 32 percent over the last five years. Experts contend that a substantial percentage of this increase is due to new arrivals from the mainland United States who are attracted by the warm weather and beaches and the easy access to general assistance and universal health coverage.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-30-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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Howard Hughes Corp to Lease Kewalo Basin Small Boat Harbor

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has announced that they have given the Howard Hughes Corp a 45 year long lease for the Kewalo Basin small boat harbor.  Under the agreement, Howard Hughes will spend about $20 million to replace every existing pier and dock at the 144-slip harbor and add an additional boat-slips. They will also create a pier-front pedestrian promenade, install a sewage pump -out system and put barriers in the water to reduce the impact of ocean swells.  Howard Hughes plans to make all of the upgrades in two to five years.  Under the lease agreement, Hughes Corp would pay the HDCA $550,000 upfront and an annual rent that would generate approximately $14 million over the first 30 years.

The Howard Hughes Corp owns the 60 acres mauka (towards the mountains) of the harbor and plans to spend $7.5 billion to redevelop the Ward Centers area.  They have already been given approval to build 22 residential towers, several of which overlook the harbor.  Race Randle, the director of development for Howard Hughes Corp, stated, "We see this as a real exciting opportunity for our company, to make Kewalo Basin a great place."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-28-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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Several Mililani Mauka Homes Have Fire Ant Infestation

According to officials from the state Department of Agriculture there are at least six homes in Mililani Mauka which have been confirmed to have a fire ant infestation.  The department is now surveying another 125 houses around the 95-1000 block of Auina Street to see how far the problem has spread. Once the scope of the problem is identified, a plan to treat the area will be created.  The little fire ants are an invasive species that are pale orange and measure one-sixteenth of an inch long. They are known to sting and cause large, red welts on humans and the ants an also cause blindness in pets. If the pet is stung in the eye, a cataract will form, and the pet will lose its vision.  Rob Curtiss, the acting manager for the Department of Agriculture's pest control branch, stated, "There's a lot of problems with having little fire ants, so that's why it's important that we get rid of it as soon as we find it.  Then once we stop finding ants, we continue surveying up to three years, and if after three years we never find any more ants, then we'll be confident that we've eradicated it."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-28-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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The Future of Aloha Stadium

The Aloha Stadium Authority has announced that they are considering several options regarding the 39 year-old facility.  One option would be to renovate the existing stadium, but the Department of Accounting and General Services estimates that they would need to spend approximately $120 million for high priority health and safety improvements to keep the stadium operation for the next 5 to 10 years.  The second option would be to build a new smaller stadium with between 30,000 and 40,000 seats, which would include premium seating options and other modern amenities.  This would cost between $132 million to $192 million, but could save the state $2.4 million to $3.2 million a year in operating costs.  The Aloha Stadium Authority will be hosting a couple of town hall style meetings to solicit the public's suggestions and opinions.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-27-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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Vida - A New Luxury Condominium in Kakaako Announced

Kamehameha Schools has announced a new luxury condominium in Kakaako.  Located at 888 Ala Moana Blvd on a site currently occupied a Cutter automobile dealership, the condominium tower is tentatively named Vida.  It will be a 38-story tower with a total of 265 two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.  The Kobayashi Group and The MacNaughton Group will be developing the 3.4 acre property, and have stated that the units will range from $900,000 to about $4.7 million. Duncan MacNaughton, the chairman of the MacNaughton Group, stated that Vida will be an "understated, yet superb" residential tower. MacNaughton added, "We've built a reputation on our uncompromising standards of quality, and Vida at 888 Ala Moana will set another benchmark of excellence for future residential communities in Hawaii."

The developers will still need to obtain a permit from the Hawaii Community Development Authority, but it should be approved considering that Vida is part of Kamehameha School's master plan called Our Kakaako.  Our Kakaako as a whole has been approved to build up to seven towers with 2,750 units within nine contiguous blocks.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-26-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
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Sewer and Water Rates Increase for Oahu Residents

Sewer and water rates will increase for all Oahu residents starting July 1, 2014.  The Department of Environmental Services stated that both the monthly base fee and usage charge will increase by 4 percent this year.  This is part of a plan approved by the Honolulu City Council in 2012 where rates will increase by 4 percent per year for the first four years, 5 percent in the fifth year and 8 percent in the sixth year.  The increase will allow the city to pay for capital improvements, service debt repayments, and make upgrades to the sewer system.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply will also be increasing their monthly flat rate charge and their usage rate charge.  This is the fourth rate increase of a series of five rate increases that began in January 2012.  The Board of Water Supply stated that these hikes are necessary to ensure adequate infrastructure and treatment system operations, and keep up with increases in cost for everything from fuel and materials to labor.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-25-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
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