Kailua Fence Comes Down For Shoppers
By Kerry Miller
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Del.icio.usAs of Oct. 6, the fence separating Kailua’s Daiei and Safeway stores will be nothing but an afterthought.
Landlord Kaneohe Ranch plans to take it down in an effort to make the area more pedestrian friendly. The property’s master leaseholders, Safeway Inc. and Vision Windward LLC, also gave the thumbs up to remove the fence.
“The fence coming down is exactly what it is - the fence is coming down,” said Kaneohe Ranch CEO Mitch D’Olier. “It makes sites and retailers work better together.
“There’s no plan to combine both lots,” D’Olier added, “just provide better pedestrian access between them.
“We’re really delighted that we’re able to get this down.”
Over the years, the fence has become a nuisance for Kailua shoppers who want to simply park and walk into either store. Instead they have had to drive from one side of the fence to the other to complete their shopping errands on the busy block, which flanks Hamakua Drive and Hahani Street.
“On occasion, community members would take their own action and cut the fence to get through it,” D’Olier admitted.
The Japan-based Don Quijote Co. Ltd. bought Daiei’s Hawaii stores from Daiei Inc. in February. Until that time, Daiei had taken no action to remove the fence, despite requests to do so.
“We’ve made requests (in the past) to try get the fence down,” D’Olier said. “The presence of new owner Don Quijote provided an opportunity to make a new request. We got a very positive response from Don Quijote management.”
About three years ago, D’Olier noted, a community planning process was initiated, outlining future plans for its property in downtown Kailua. Parts of the plan allowed for the fence to come down.
As for future “pedestrian friendly” efforts, citizens are welcome to check out www.kaneoheranch.com for a detailed outline of the plan.
“Basically, it’s ways to make Kailua a better walking place,” D’Olier said. “It’s just going to happen over time.”
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