More details have come out on the planned demolition of the building at the corner of Keawe St. and Mamo St. in downtown Hilo.

After many months of speculation on what will be done with the property, the owners of the building (K. Taniguchi Ltd., who also own the adjacent KTA Market and the KTA Superstore in the Puainako Center), will be going before the Hawaii County Planning Commission on January 15, 2009 to seek approval for a Special Management Area (SMA) permit. (1/16/2009 UPDATE: According to Jeff Darrow at the Planning Commission, the SMA Permit request was approved at the meeting!)

KTA wants to tear down the dilapidated 13,918 sq. ft. 2-story building (built in 1915 on the same L-shaped 26,396 sq. ft. TMK parcel as the existing KTA parking lot) and put in a new parking lot in conjunction with a remodel of its market (not sure where the Tribune Herald came up with the 7,700 sq. ft. for the building, but that's par for the course with the inaccuracies from this "news"paper). Rumors of this plan have been circulating for several months, and tenants of the building have been slowly moving out. The seedy Flip Side Too bar has been closed for months (probably a good thing, although the Tribune Herald seems to think that it's still in operation at this location...maybe they should actually get out a little more?) and the popular Big Island Ohana Cafe on the corner remains the last business operating on the site.

Some say that the building is in such poor shape that the only thing holding it up are the termites! Due to the dry rot, termite damage, and SMA / tsunami flood zone re-construction restrictions, a restoration of the building is probably not economically feasible.

Instead of putting up another building on the site, KTA plans to replace the building with a parking lot. Because of its location in a FEMA-designated tsunami flood zone (Zone A), it is required that any new building be elevated (with no shops or businesses on the ground level), which significantly increases the cost of construction.

The new $1 million-plus project will get rid of the existing safety hazard of the corner building, increase parking for KTA customers, and add a new facade to the KTA market. KTA will also remodel some of the interior of their store, but there aren't any plans to expand or include a deli or pharmacy. KTA intends to keep the market open during construction.

The adjacent Hilo Farmer's Market, is also due for improvement.  Keith De La Cruz, the “Market Master,” obtained permission in early 2008 from the County to erect a two-story market building on the main Kamehameha Ave.-Mamo St. lot.  It will have a smooth concrete slab floor at ground level; restrooms and a restaurant upstairs, along with some offices, including his.  Almost no one is opposed to this project, and if it gets built - as De La Cruz hopes, within in the next year or two -  it would be a new “anchor” for downtown businesses, and could even spur improvements to the bus station and bandstand park across the way.

With these new projects, this section of downtown Hilo will really be looking good!

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