Latest news with #AlohaStadium
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Aloha Stadium Swap Meet set to make its move
HONOLULU(KHON2) — Something big is brewing at Aloha Stadium. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You 'We're looking forward to big changes,' Aloha Stadium communications specialist Samantha Spain said. After years of discussion and planning, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Market place is just weeks away from relocating. It's new home is stones throw away in the Halawa parking lot. 'Right now we're kind of resurfacing everything and then we'll be re-striping everything and then you'll start to see the load in,' she explained. Spain said they expect to begin moving in early summer and be read to go July 1st. The construction currently going on in the upper parking lot is to make sure they have the proper electric and plumbing for the shopping area that's going to be built there. 'That's our Ho'okipa Hale area,' Spain said. 'We'll have a large entertainment tent. We'll have a food court, food trucks some brand new retail units that we are converting from shipping containers that are custom made for us.' According to Spain, they have room for over 60 containers with space for traditional pop-up tent vendors on the other side. Honolulu police looking to hit recruiting jackpot in Las Vegas There are already have over a dozen containers on sight, ready to go. 'Wnce we turn it over to (the vendors) they'll have the opportunity to put flooring in, put shelving in as they want to,' Spain explained as she opened one of the containers. She said the swap meet with have roughly 400 to 600 vendors on weekends with brand new bathroom facilities… 'We have custom restrooms that we have made out of shipping containers,' she explained. It's all a part of their plan to enhance the customer experience while the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) is being built. 'We are looking at anywhere from five to 10 years,' Span said. 'It will all depend on what the developer has planned.' To honor the history of the stadium, they are calling on artists to create an original piece of art using the corrugated metal along the field. 'You can submit your ideas and we'll select one winner and then we will provide all of the corrugated walls and then we'll have this beautiful sculpture or 3D backdrop that we will have up in the swap meet,' she explained. T he winner gets $1000 and a stipend to create the piece, which needs to be 70% made of the corrugated metal. 'You get bonus points if you put aloha in there,' Spain added. 'And of course being able to have your artwork in here for years to come.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The deadline to submit is early June. Click here for contest information. The latest information on the relocation of the swap meet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cash or clutter? Naming rights bill heads to Governor's desk
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A bill passed in this year's legislative session could change the names of some of the state's most public venues. Senate Bill 583 allows the state to sell naming rights to facilities like the new Aloha Stadium and the Hawaii Convention Center. Community members meet with developers of new Aloha Stadium Supporters said it's smart business, but critics think it's a slippery slope toward commercial clutter. Are you wearing the right color lei for Lei Day? Kumu Lum explains In a move aimed at boosting revenue to pay for the operation and maintenance of the new stadium and the Convention Center, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 583, which permits the leasing of naming rights for state-owned facilities to public or private entities, with the generated funds directed to the facility's special fund. Current law allows for advertising indoor facilities; this legislation opens doors to exterior advertising. 'That's going to increase the value, increase the potential for us to generate revenues that are going to help support and maintain that stadium for that 30-year period of time that we're looking to have an operator run that stadium for us,' said Brennon Morioka, Stadium Authority Chair. Supporters said this could raise a million dollars or more a year for the stadium. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 'That could be the difference between having a roof shade or not having a roof shade. Are we going to engineer all of the extras out of there? I think of having extra $30 million potentially for Stanford is going to be good for the public,' said Senator Glenn Wakai, who has been spearheading efforts to fund the new Aloha Stadium without additional taxpayer money The Hawaii Convention Center is also in the spotlight. The Hawaii Tourism Authority supported the bill, seeing it as a means to generate additional revenue. However, the opposition is strong from The Outdoor Circle. 'This could lead to corporate schlock logos, everything screaming from every building or public facility. And we see a slippery slope here,' said Winston Welch, Executive Director of The Outdoor Circle. The Outdoor Circle argues the bill may jeopardize public funding of tax-exempt bonds and may not hold up against the state's longstanding ban on billboards. 'Yes, everybody needs money, but we've found a way for 100 years to do this without sacrificing our visual environment,' said Welch. Yet supporters said the bill is not a threat to Hawaii's scenic beauty. Check out more news from around Hawaii 'We want to keep that pristine environment that we have. This is for one singular building to allow for any kind of corporation to put their logo on the outside of the stadium,' said Sen. Wakai. The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature. If signed, the law could take effect as early as July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oahu developer mulls design, funding options for Aloha Stadium
COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a HART Transit Plaza, 1 /4 COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a HART Transit Plaza, COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a Community Plaza. 2 /4 COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a Community Plaza. Renderings provided courtesy of Aloha H ālawa District Partners are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change. Dated December 2024. 3 /4 Renderings provided courtesy of Aloha H ālawa District Partners are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change. Dated December 2024. JAMM AQUINO / 2021 Demolishing the existing Aloha Stadium is expected to take 10 months, according to local developer Stanford Carr. 4 /4 JAMM AQUINO / 2021 Demolishing the existing Aloha Stadium is expected to take 10 months, according to local developer Stanford Carr. COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a HART Transit Plaza, COURTESY ALOHA HALAWA DISTRICT PARTNERS A rendering shows possible development in the area surrounding Aloha Stadium as part of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District project. Plans are still being considered, but proposals have included a Community Plaza. Renderings provided courtesy of Aloha H ālawa District Partners are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change. Dated December 2024. JAMM AQUINO / 2021 Demolishing the existing Aloha Stadium is expected to take 10 months, according to local developer Stanford Carr. A replacement for Aloha Stadium may be built on parts of the existing condemned facility in Halawa as a way to reduce costs and help meet a 2028 opening timetable. The strategy is being considered by the project's tentative developer to produce a 'basic ' 25, 000-seat sports and entertainment complex estimated to cost $450 million. However, a higher-level 'aspirational ' option, which could cost $650 million and accommodate preseason professional football games as well as a potential return of the NFL Pro Bowl to Hawaii, also is being explored. The rough plans were shared recently with a state Senate committee where some members expressed concern over how the project initiated by state leaders many years ago is progressing with a private partner. Stanford Carr, a local developer leading a team tentatively selected in October to receive $350 million from the state to help build a stadium to be surrounded by new housing, entertainment and other facilities on 98 acres of state land where Aloha Stadium sits today, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee at a Feb. 26 hearing that much work remains preliminary because project agreements with state administrators are still being negotiated. Such documents include a ground lease, a development agreement, an arrangement to share infrastructure costs, and a stadium operating agreement. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Carr said that producing more detailed plans and feasibility assessments will cost tens of millions of dollars and will proceed after agreements are finalized. 'There's a lot of moving parts to this, ' he told the committee during a hearing on a bill related to stadium redevelopment funding. Carr and state administrators aim to finalize the agreements by June 30, or possibly earlier. Brennan Morioka, board chair of the Stadium Authority attached to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, told the committee that demolishing the existing 50-year-old stadium, where rusting stands suffering from deferred maintenance were closed in 2020, is expected to happen far sooner than previously anticipated because Carr is already working on obtaining demolition permits. Carr said tearing down the old stadium is expected to take 10 months. Still, big challenges lie ahead for the stadium and real estate development project collectively known as the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. Carr told the committee that $179 million worth of infrastructure work will be needed in an initial phase that includes the stadium, roads, utilities and a pedestrian promenade from the city's nearby Skyline rail station to a new stadium. This sum includes $32 million to relocate existing infrastructure around the perimeter of Aloha Stadium. The partnership led by Carr, Aloha Halawa District Partners, also is looking at possibly having to raise $279 million to deliver a 'basic ' $450 million stadium, even with using $350 million from the state, given the additional $100 million stadium cost plus $179 million in infrastructure. Carr told Ways and Means members that he intends to seek City and County of Honolulu approval to use tax-free financing supported by new property tax revenue from future development in the area to help pay for the stadium. The funding tools, Community Facilities District bonds and Tax Increment Financing, would help reduce expenses to build the public facility. Another way Carr is looking at potentially keeping costs down is to reuse concrete structures at the north and south ends of Aloha Stadium as part of a new stadium. Carr also told the committee that a new stadium could initially be built with three sides followed by a fourth side as a future addition. Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, Ways and Means chair, mentioned during the hearing that there was talk about a potential private donation that also could help fund the project. To accommodate such a possibility, the bill being discussed, Senate Bill 1589, was amended to put parameters on how any donated funds could be spent. Gov. Josh Green over the last few months has been talking with organizations about possibly contributing money to the project, according to the Office of the Governor. 'With additional infrastructure funding, we will have the ability to enhance the stadium scope and ensure that we deliver a facility that better serves the broader needs of our community, ' the office said in a statement. Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-Wahiawa-Whitmore Village ) said at the outset of the Feb. 26 hearing that he wanted to understand the project's status because of an earlier impression that the developer can't finance the cost of a new stadium beyond the state's contribution. Carr gave that impression to a different Senate committee earlier in February during a hearing on a bill that proposed allowing a casino at the stadium project. At this earlier hearing, Carr said there were a lot of project feasibility shortfalls. At one point, in response to a question about what would happen without the casino bill passing, he said, 'Realistically we would be pencils down and walk away from the project.' At the more recent hearing, Carr restated his view to say the casino bill, which did not advance, would have provided a jolt of adrenaline for surrounding real estate development that helps support the project's centerpiece that is expected to have more operating expenses than revenue. 'A stadium is a black hole, ' he said. 'It's like owning a boat.' Profits from real estate development surrounding a new stadium are intended to provide a financial return for the development team's investment in a new stadium and support long-term operations and maintenance. Development around a new stadium is expected to be done in four phases over 25 to 30 years, Carr said. The development team also has the potential to receive sponsorship revenue, which could be tied to a name for a new stadium, that helps offset stadium development or operating costs. Sen. Donna Kim (D, Kalihi-Fort Shafter-Red Hill ) questioned the viability of a $650 million stadium, which Morioka called aspirational, given that the development team needs to potentially raise over $200 million just to build a basic $450 million stadium. 'It's clear that the Legislature provided $350 million, and yet you folks are going beyond that, which is aspirational. But is the aspirational going to eventually derail this whole project after all of this time ?' she said. 'That's what it seems like. 'You're pulling at straws like a casino, ' Kim continued. 'You're going to get more money here, get more money there. But I think the reality has got to be, can you build us a $350 million stadium ?' Morioka said the basic stadium and more aspirational version are both being explored at what is still a relatively early stage. 'I think they're working on both approaches simultaneously, ' he said.
