Shimogawa Scoops

The owner of Laugh Factory, one of the most popular comedy club chains in the United States that has hosted performances by such stars as Adam Sandler, Chris Tucker, Eddie Murphy and Jay Leno, has made a serious buy of hundreds of acres of prime agricultural lands in Hawaii from Alexander & Baldwin Inc. Jamie Masada, an American businessman and comedian, who founded Laugh Factory that is headquartered in Los Angeles on famed Sunset Boulevard, purchased 272 acres of agricultural lands on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai’s South Shore that makes up “Brydeswood Ranch” for about $8 million, according to public records. Brydeswood Ranch, which encompasses 23 subdivided lots ranging in size from four to 17 acres with a total density of about 80 homesites, includes the historic manager’s stone house that was built in 1860, according to Hawaii Life, the listing company for the unique property. The big land purchase along Kaumualii Highway shows that there’s still considerable intere...

A 5-megawatt solar farm in West Oahu is making its way through the process with a consultant for the developer of the project presenting plans to the area neighborhood board next week. Kawika McKeague of Honolulu architecture firm G70 is scheduled to give a presentation on the project to the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board on Wednesday evening. The solar farm is expected to be built in Kalaeloa just below the Kalaeloa Heritage Park along Coral Sea Road. Earlier this year, the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency regulating development in Kalaeloa, entered into lease negotiations with Aloha Solar Energy Fund II/ECC Energy Solutions LLC on the project. Aloha Solar was one of six organizations that expressed interest in building a 5-megawatt solar farm in Kalaeloa on about 20 acres. Interestingly, last month, the HCDA nixed another developer's plan to build a large solar farm in Kalaeloa.

Marcus Mariota, the Hawaii-born Tennessee Titans quarterback, paid nearly double the assessed value of his new Hawaii home. In May, the St. Louis School star purchased a more than 3,000-square-foot home near Kailua Beach in Windward Oahu with four bedrooms and four bathrooms for $2.45 million. The total assessed value for the property is $1.7 million. The purchase came out to $767 per square foot. The home, which was built in 2017 and purchased by Mariota in May, was only on the market for 90 days. It has a total floor area of 4,194 square feet and sits on a 10,000-square-foot lot. Amenities of the home include a pool, maid and guest quarters and a workshop. Mariota, one of the most popular athletes in Hawaii, was a star quarterback for the University of Oregon Ducks football team. Numerous local companies have latched onto his star power by having him become their spokesman, including First Hawaiian Bank and Island Insurance.

A housing project that is expected to be the first of its kind in Hawaii has been downsized by a couple of floors, according to recently released public documents for the development. Located in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, New York-based BronxPro Group’s Nohona Hale project includes 111 affordable rental micro-units in a now 14-story tower set upon a two-level podium that will encompass the lobby, living room, community spaces and management offices. The project, which will include units that measure about 300 square feet, was once supposed to be 16 stories. It will be aimed at low-income households earning 60 percent below the area median income and 10 percent of the project’s units will be set aside for families earning 30 percent AMI or less. Nohona Hale will be built on a 10,450-square-foot vacant lot on Cooke Street, and includes EAH Housing as part of the development team, according to the project’s final environmental assessment prepared by Wilson Okamoto Co...

Another bar and restaurant is opening in the growing Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako. This new establishment will be headed by veteran Hawaii restaurateurs Pat Kashani and Keith Kawaharada. Public records show that both restaurateurs filed new businesses and trade names called “Tropics Ale House Kakaako,” with the address being 747 Queen St. that is at the corner of Queen and Cooke streets. Kashani is known for his Tropics Tap House and Tropics Ale House restaurants, while Kawaharada is the operator of Mr. Oji-san on Kapahulu Avenue near Waikiki. He also heads the former establishment at 747 Queen St., Hush Bar & Grill. Tropics Ale House Kakaako joins a crowded field of bars and restaurants in the area, including Aloha Beer Co. and Waikiki Brewing on Queen Street, as well as Village Bottle Shop & Tasting Room, Moku, Doraku, Chai’s, as well as two new restaurants at Alexander & Baldwin’s The Collection and REAL a Gastropub that’s opening at Gerding Edlen’s Kea...

A husband-and-wife team from Japan has paid $22 million for a condominium unit at the $1 billion Park Lane Ala Moana, setting a new record for the price paid for a condo unit in Hawaii, according to the sales deed obtained by Shimogawa Scoops Thursday. Akihito and Chihiro Awaji, who hail from Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Japan, recently snatched up unit 3800 in Park Lane, which is located at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, the state’s largest shopping center. The deal closed on September 29 with the Awaji’s paying a whopping $275,000 in conveyance tax. The 5,668-square-foot unit that has 1,188-square-feet of lanai space was listed for $22 million, and includes four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. It also comes with four parking stalls and a hefty $7,410 monthly common area maintenance fee. Park Lane, which was developed by Kobayashi Group, The MacNaughton Group, General Growth Properties and BlackSand Capital, opened to its first residents this Spring. The row seven eight-sto...

Hawaii, the state in the U.S. that’s most-dependent on its tourism industry, could break the 10 million visitor mark, which would be a record mark for the Aloha State, according to the head of the state’s economic development agency. The state nearly hit the 9 million mark last year, and is on track to surpass 9 million visitors in 2017. Luis Salaveria, director of the state Department of Economic Development and Tourism, speaking recently to a small group comprising some of the most influential real estate industry leaders in Hawaii, talked about the strong momentum that the state’s tourism industry is enjoying in a wide-ranging, causal question-and-answer session in Honolulu. He said that the state could get to the 10 million visitor arrival mark, although there are challenges that stand in the way, including infrastructure issues that need to be addressed. Salaveria noted that a growing trend called “glamping,” a cross between camping and glamour, could be an opportun...