Construction of $350M West Oahu Shopping Center Postponed

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

DeBartolo Development LLC announced that construction on the first phase of its $350 million Ka Makana Ali’i regional shopping center in East Kapolei has been delayed until early next year.

The initial part of the project calls for the development of a neighborhood center that will feature a grocery and a drugstore. General contractor Nordic PCL will use about 20 of the total 67.7 acres DeBartolo leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The second part of the project entails the establishment of a major department store, an entertainment center as well as hospitality, retail and over 200,000 square feet of LEED-certified office space.

The Pacific Business News reports that retailers have already committed to lease about 80 percent of the initial phase of the project. San Diego-based Tucker Sadler Architects will design the mixed-use center along with Architects Hawaii Ltd. and Belt Collins Hawaii.

Upon completion, DeBartolo’s 1.5 million square foot urban center will be the third largest regional shopping mall in Hawaii. The Ka Makana Alii development is slated to generate up to 20,000 construction jobs and between 4,000 and 5,000 permanent jobs.

In regional news, Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle, has signed an agreement to purchase 98 percent of Lanai, Hawaii’s sixth-largest island. The Pacific Business News reports that the sale includes two resort hotels — the Four Seasons Resorts Lanai at Manele Bay and the Four Seasons Resorts Lanai, Lodge at Koele — two championship golf courses and club houses, The Experience at Koele and The Challenge at Manele and more than 88,000 acres of land. The purchase price has not been disclosed but it is estimated to be around $500 million.

Lanai belongs to Los Angeles billionaire David Murdock, who took ownership of the land in 1985, with the purchase of Castle & Cooke Hawaii Inc. The state owns 2 percent of the island.

Photo credits: www.debartolodevelopment.com