Shimogawa Scoops

A Maui water company is selling 4,620 acres of land to an owner of a Valley Isle construction firm for about $3.4 million, according to public documents filed this week. Wailuku Water Co., which provides water distribution services on Maui, is asking state regulators to approve this proposed transaction. The conservation-zoned land is undeveloped. The water company said it entered into a purchase agreement with Ting Ranch LLC in late November. Duane Ting, who is the president of Maui Master Builders Inc., is a partner of Ting Ranch. Wailuku Water said that the proposed sale is reasonable and in the public interest because the sale would allow the company, which has suffered operating losses, to help pay for its operating and capital expenses. The sale also will not affect the ability of Wailuku Water to continue to provide water distribution services, the company said. Wailuku Water also is in discussions to sell its watershed property as well as rights to the ditches, tunnels,...

Panda Express is expanding to Central Oahu with a new location on California Avenue in Wahiawa, according to public documents. On Tuesday, Panda Express filed a $41,000 building permit with city officials for its new restaurant on 609 California Ave. Panda Express has 10 locations on Oahu with another on the way in Kapolei in West Oahu near a Walmart store. The billionaire co-owners of Panda Express have been on quite a real estate buying spree, including the recent purchase of a Waikiki high-rise office tower across from the Hawaii Convention Center. The Cherngs, who founded Panda Express in the early 1980s, have also purchased several residential properties including a beachfront estate in the ritzy Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala.

AutoZone is driving in the fast lane when it comes to expanding its presence in Hawaii with yet another store in the works, according to public documents. On Tuesday, the auto parts retail giant filed a permit with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting for a new store along Waialae Avenue in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kaimuki. The permit lists two addresses including 3051 Waialae Ave., the site of a Midas shop and 3035 Waialae Ave. AutoZone is opening its first store on the island of Kauai at the Foodland-anchored Waipouli Town Center in Kapaa, as well as new stores in the works in Waipahu in Central Oahu. The Tennessee-based company currently has three stores in Hawaii.

A well-known Hawaii nightclub promoter may be bringing the popular upscale gastropub Rock & Reilly's to Hawaii, according to public records. Peter Maharaj, who once owned a nightclub that was named after him at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, has recently registered a new business and trade name in the state called "Rock & Reilly's Honolulu LLC" and "Rock & Reilly's." Rock & Reilly's has locations in New York City, Park City, Utah, Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Las Vegas and at Los Angeles International Airport. The Irish rock pub bills itself as an "intimate, seated-only cocktail bar" that encourages customers to book reservations for a table, according to its website. Its menu includes such items as "Bingo Wings," "The Reuben," "The Cookie Jar" and a corned beef slider. Rock & Reilly's also includes live music at its establishments. Its Las Ve...

Patagonia, the popular outdoor apparel company, is making moves to redevelop the Universal Building that it owns on Ward Avenue in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako. Construction fences have gone up and building permits have been filed for the renovation of the longstanding building at 535 Ward Avenue that once was occupied by a few businesses including The Light Bulb Source. In 2015, a company affiliated with Patagonia purchased the 22,867-square-foot building that's on a 23,366-square-foot lot for $8.5 million, public records show. The California-based company has two Hawaii locations, one up Ward Avenue next to a Starbucks Coffee shop and another in Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore. On Thursday, Patagonia filed two building permits totaling $1.5 million for renovations of the landmark one-story building. Honolulu architect Davidean K.K. Young is listed as the architect for the project, according to the permits. In late March, Patagonia filed a $100,000 building perm...

Via Gelato Hawaii is expanding to The Howard Hughes Corp.'s 60-acre Ward Village in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, according to public documents. The popular gelato company, which started out as a food truck and then opened its first shop in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kaimuki, filed a $40,000 building permit Thursday with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting for its second store at Ward Centre along Ala Moana Boulevard. Ward Centre, which is part of Ward Village Shops, also includes such tenants as Piggy Smalls, Bellini Bistro & Bar, Bed Bath and Beyond and Paina Cafe. Via Gelato, founded by Melissa Bow in 2011, has a wide variety of flavors including Guava, Haupia Sorbetto, Hazelnut Toffee, Lavender, Li-Hing Lilikoi, Strawberry Ume and Banana Cream Pie.

Stewbum & Stonewall Brewing Co., an Oahu-based brewery is closing its Kaneohe location this weekend, the company said. The brewery, founded by Darren Garvey and Eric Jackson in 2013, includes such craft brews as Batch 518 Pale Ale, Joe Mama's Amber Lager, Makana Island Wheat, Swear Jar India Pale Ale and The Days of Our Wives Bitter Ale. The company's brewery and tasting room is located on Kahuhipa Street near Windward Mall. Stewbum & Stonewall said Wednesday that it is still looking for a new location, and likely won't have a new space until early next year. The company has ties to Pittsburgh where its founders' fathers — nicknamed Stewbum & Stonewall — became best friends.

ProtoHUB Honolulu, a co-working space that was once located in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, is coming back to the area with a lease signed to open at the building that formerly housed World Gym. Honolulu-based Hawaii Commercial Real Estate LLC represented the state's Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. — the landlord — in the lease for ProtoHUB's "Impact Hub Honolulu." ProtoHUB was once located on Keawe Street, but closed and moved to Downtown Honolulu. Its new space is located at 1050 Queen St., which formerly housed a World Gym location. There had been an attempt to use space at this building as a co-working space, although that effort fell short. Co-working spaces, which have been popular on the Mainland for many years, have been popping up on a consistent basis in Honolulu. Existing co-working spaces, which have had an impact on the current office real estate market in Honolulu, include BoxJelly, Real Office Centers Honolulu, Regus Busines...

Famous Hawaii chef Peter Merriman is nearing the opening of his first Merriman's restaurant on Oahu that will be located in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako. The major venture also now has a name that fits like a glove. Merriman's Kakaako will open in a roughly 6,000-square-foot ground floor space at The Howard Hughes Corp.'s Anaha mixed-use condominium high-rise tower along Auahi Street. On Tuesday, Merriman filed a $900,000 building permit with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting, signaling that the restaurant is being built soon. Hawaii's Davidean K.K. Young is listed as the architect for the project. Merriman's Kakaako has yet to be registered as a trade name, according to public records. Merriman's Kakaako, which is scheduled to open later this year, joins his other restaurant venture in the neighborhood called Moku Kitchen, which is a partnership with Hawaii restaurateur Bill Terry. Merriman and Terry, t...

The development team of a planned 111 micro-unit affordable rental housing project in the growing Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako hopes to close on financing of the $33 million development by next spring with construction starting soon after that, according to public documents. In an update to the Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board last month, an official with EAH Housing, which is part of the development team along with New York's Bronx Pro Group LLC, revealed details regarding the Nohana Hale project that's located at 630 Cooke St. It will include 14 floors of residential units with eight units per floor. The project is expected to be financed with tax credits, bonds and state subsidy funding, according to minutes from the board's meeting. The project is scheduled to take about 18 months to build. Maximum monthly rents would be set at about $1,053 for part of the project. Another part of the project would involve monthly rents at no more than $503. The transit-or...

Crabtree & Evelyn, the popular international bath and body products retailer, is returning to Hawaii with a new store at the International Market Place in Waikiki, according to public documents. Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts and now owned by Hong Kong's Nan Kai Corp., the company filed a $210,000 building permit Monday with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting for its new store at the newly-redeveloped shopping complex that's anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue. Crabtree & Evelyn closed its lone Hawaii store in 2009 at Ala Moana Center. Nan Kai purchased the personal care brand for about $175 million in 2015. There are more than 200 company-owned stores in over 65 countries selling such items as fragrances, bath and shower gels, soaps, home spa products, body lotions, hand creams and home fragrance, according to its website. Crabtree & Evelyn will join other International Market Place tenants such as Sand People, Seafolly ...

The San Diego-based developer that built the Symphony Honolulu and Pacifica Honolulu mixed-use condominium projects may be working on another development on Oahu, according to public documents. Last month, OliverMcMillan Inc. registered a new business called "OliverMcMillan Kuhio LLC" with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The developer registered new businesses called "OliverMcMillan Pacifica LLC" and "OliverMcMillan Symphony LLC" for its two previous high-rise condo towers along Kapiolani Boulevard. OliverMcMillan once was in negotiations to join the development team to build the long-delayed 37-story, 117-unit Aloha Kai development at the site of the YMCA of Honolulu Central Branch across from Ala Moana Center. The developer also has been chosen to develop a nearly 27-acre parcel of land in Kapolei in West Oahu into a 400-unit mixed-use project.

Let the theater wars begin. The Regal Theaters at Windward Mall in Kaneohe and at the Pearl Highlands Center in Central Oahu are getting upgrades to match the glitz and glamour of the new luxury theaters recently developed in Kapolei in West Oahu. Regal Theaters officials confirmed these projects to Shimogawa Scoops. The renovations include reducing the seating at these theaters. For instance Windward Mall's theater will reduce seating by about half to 924 seats from 1,822 seats, public records show. Kamehameha Schools, which owns Windward Mall, recently filed a $650,000 building permit with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting for the project, which also involves remodeling the 10 auditoriums, remove seating, renovating 11,160-square-feet of the total 26,111-square-feet of the theater, new seating, aisle stairs, handrails, aisle lighting and upgrading the break room. Donna Olsen Ballard, president and principal architect of California-...

"Jurassic World 2," one of the most prominent movie franchises to shoot scenes in Hawaii, is scheduled to film key scenes next month in the Heeia Pier area in Windward Oahu, according to public documents. At last month's Kahaluu and Kaneohe Neighborhood Board meetings, officials with the Hawaii Film Office and the Honolulu Film Office gave an update about how they plan to deal with possible traffic issues that the film may cause. Film Office officials did not specify the "Jurassic World 2" film name but only referred it as "Ancient Futures." Laura Sode-Metteson, who worked on "Jurassic World" that was shown in theaters in 2015, who was at the Kaneohe board meeting, said the filming is for a major Universal Studios production. "Jurassic World," which reported opening weekend box office figures of $204.6 million in the United States alone, is a Universal production, and also shot scenes in Hawaii. Published reports show that ...

A new Veterans Affairs facility aimed at alleviating Hawaii's worst wait times in the nation may be coming to West Oahu, according to public documents. In a report released by the Hawaii Community Development Authority earlier this month, the state agency, which regulates development in the West Oahu town of Kalaeloa, revealed plans for such a project. The HCDA's staff held a teleconference with Honolulu architecture firm Ferraro Choi & Associates Ltd. regarding the design of a new Veterans facility at the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station that borders Kapolei. Several years ago, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System had plans to build a 160,000-square-foot VA clinic in West Oahu, which had been approved by the federal government. The "Advance Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access" center or ALOHA project had been stuck in the middle of several other similar projects across the country. It would've been about twice the size of the Spark M. Matsunaga ...

The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, the largest hotel in Hawaii, may be getting even bigger as its owner has recently entered into contracts to buy three parcels of land near its iconic 2,860-room resort, according to public documents. In its first quarter earnings report, Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., a real estate investment trust spun off by Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., revealed that in April, it entered into two contracts for the purchase of three parcels of land near its Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel. One of the contracts involves purchasing one of the parcels for $10 million. This deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, the trust said. Park Hotels also has an option to buy two more parcels, owned by a different seller, for $15 million. The trust said the contracts required a total deposit of less than $1 million, and that the initial option period on the second contract is one year and may be extended for up to four more years. In earlier public...

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