Plans Move Forward for DeBartolo Development’s $350M West Oahu Shopping Center

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

The Hawaii Land Use Commission has approved a use change for a proposed 1.4 million-square-foot regional shopping mall in East Kapolei. The Pacific Business News reports that under a previous state plan the site had been slated for the development of a regional sports complex.

Florida-based DeBartolo Development L.L.C. plans to build the $350 million project called Ka Makana Alii on 67.7 acres leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. San Diego-based Tucker Sadler Architects will design the mixed-use center, along with Architects Hawaii Ltd. and Belt Collins Hawaii.

General contractor Nordic PCL will use about 20 acres for the initial part of the project, which calls for the construction of an approximately 200,000-square-foot neighborhood center. The development will be anchored by Walgreen’s and has already sparked the interest of more than 22 retailers. It is expected to open by 2014. The second part of the project entails the establishment of a major department store, an entertainment center, and hospitality, retail and more than 200,000 square feet of LEED-certified office space.

Upon completion, DeBartolo’s urban center will be the third-largest regional shopping mall in Hawaii. The Ka Makana Alii development is slated to generate as many as 20,000 construction jobs and between 4,000 and 5,000 permanent jobs.

In regional news, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii held a traditional Hawaiian groundbreaking and blessing ceremony at the site of a future 40,000-square-foot medical office building in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.

According to Hawaii News Now, the new center will be built on approximately 10 acres of land at the corner of Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Honokohau Street. The facility will house about 30 exam rooms and offices for 20 healthcare professionals and is expected to serve more than 20,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the Big Island’s west and north service areas.

Honolulu-based Maryl Group will develop the new clinic, which is expected to replace the existing facility at 75-184 Hualalai Road in Kailua-Kona. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2014.

Photo credits: www.debartolodevelopment.com