Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel to close Feb. 1 (how much, construction)

[smarino]

No matter what you may have read, Hilo marches to it's own beat (or crawls). Here's just a few of the issues that are featured in today's Hilo newspaper below. Anyone that has lived in Hilo understands that often things either never happen, or happen so far into the future that the original people involved are long gone, along w/ the original plan. There is talk about the county taking the area over, but that doesn't sound like an improvement, and it will never happen in any case. The real solution is to simply sell the land fee simple and let the businesses take care of understanding how to turn a profit and offer good services. But why would they invest a lot of money and time in something that will just be taken away from them later?


Uncertainty for Banyan Drive; DLNR meeting will mull future of distressed hotel strip | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by smarino

But why would they invest a lot of money and time in something that will just be taken away from them later?

Lots of hotels are leasehold - for instance, even the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. (Land owned by Kamehameha Schools)

More the issue, they needed to pay more the lease. The State must value that land more than the hotel did.

[smarino]

The new proposals in the article below are....interesting. Looks like a committee plans to send a proposal to another committee, then over to the Council committee. But no one knows who will actually oversee things. If there's changes to the way this highly desirable land is run, the planning department committee will share rule with five board members (who will OK'd by the mayor and Ok'd by the county council). After all that, if it happens, then a "master plan", otherwise known as a "plan", will be thought up with a "vision" of how things would go, then that will be sent over to the county council committee. God only knows what happens after that, as their thinking seems to have petered out at this point from all the committee meeting proposals. The DNLR would STILL remain landlord status and receive the rents, but they deny they'll actually be landlords. They'll simply be "just a collaborator". But, they'll still get the rent money. If at some point any vision, plan, whatever, is agreed upon, they will still have to deal with people who assert that the state doesn't own the land anyway, and that there is no lawful treaty between the US and the Hawaiian people.

My take on this is that five years into the future everything will be right where it is now. Or worse. The way this is being handled is as if a bunch of devious fifth graders were thinking things up on the fly, and they feel no one will challenge their cockamamie schemes. Probably because nothing will ever get done beyond endless committee meetings and legal challenges. You know what? They should just solicit ideas from private developers that have a proven successful record w/ just this sort of thing, sell the land to them, and let someone that knows what they're doing build something. You have to get this away from these political clowns and have a business run things in a, well, business like manner. Or just raze the buildings and parking lots and let the whole area be a protected coastal park for everyone to enjoy. I've lived in a lot of places, and every time you get these politicians and bureaucrats involved in redevelopment it fails miserably. They just don't understand it at all, and often years into the thing they're gone and someone else is stuck trying to figure it out. That would certainly be the case w/ mayors and council members. It's a shame, because with the bay to moor small boats and the land and water itself, this could be a real jewel for Hilo.

One additional scheme is to do away w/ the golf course and turn it into a native Hawaiian cultural and convention center, so watch out for more bonds that will have to be paid back with interest.

Here's the Hawaii Tribune newspaper article below.

A Banyan Drive solution? County unveils plan to take over management of state leases | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by smarino

The new proposals in the article below are....interesting. Looks like a committee plans to send a proposal to another committee, then over to the Council committee. But no one knows who will actually oversee things. If there's changes to the way this highly desirable land is run, the planning department committee will share rule with five board members (who will OK'd by the mayor and Ok'd by the county council). After all that, if it happens, then a "master plan", otherwise known as a "plan", will be thought up with a "vision" of how things would go, then that will be sent over to the county council committee. God only knows what happens after that, as their thinking seems to have petered out at this point from all the committee meeting proposals. The DNLR would STILL remain landlord status and receive the rents, but they deny they'll actually be landlords. They'll simply be "just a collaborator". But, they'll still get the rent money. If at some point any vision, plan, whatever, is agreed upon, they will still have to deal with people who assert that the state doesn't own the land anyway, and that there is no lawful treaty between the US and the Hawaiian people.

My take on this is that five years into the future everything will be right where it is now. Or worse. The way this is being handled is as if a bunch of devious fifth graders were thinking things up on the fly, and they feel no one will challenge their cockamamie schemes. Probably because nothing will ever get done beyond endless committee meetings and legal challenges. You know what? They should just solicit ideas from private developers that have a proven successful record w/ just this sort of thing, sell the land to them, and let someone that knows what they're doing build something. You have to get this away from these political clowns and have a business run things in a, well, business like manner. Or just raze the buildings and parking lots and let the whole area be a protected coastal park for everyone to enjoy. I've lived in a lot of places, and every time you get these politicians and bureaucrats involved in redevelopment it fails miserably. They just don't understand it at all, and often years into the thing they're gone and someone else is stuck trying to figure it out. That would certainly be the case w/ mayors and council members. It's a shame, because with the bay to moor small boats and the land and water itself, this could be a real jewel for Hilo.

One additional scheme is to do away w/ the golf course and turn it into a native Hawaiian cultural and convention center, so watch out for more bonds that will have to be paid back with interest.

Here's the Hawaii Tribune newspaper article below.

A Banyan Drive solution? County unveils plan to take over management of state leases | Hawaii Tribune-Herald

Excellent analysis of the process!

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Frogs? How cool is that?

[leilaniguy]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

Frogs? How cool is that?

You don't live here do you?

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

Frogs? How cool is that?

LOL. They can be loud, especially if within 10 ft. or so of where you're sleeping.

Not so bad though. Fire ants, now they're another story.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

Frogs? How cool is that?

As in coqui frogs. 90 decibels each. There are places in Puna where there are thousands of them per acre. Still think that's cool?

[leilaniguy]

Uncle Billy's now will stay open under new management.

[terracore]

"Kanuha said one idea would be to turn the golf course that is part of the Hilo Naniloa Hotel’s lease into a Native Hawaiian cultural and convention center that could also host the Merrie Monarch Festival — Hilo’s premiere hula event."

Two bits of irony here:

1) What is the "new" convention center going to do the other 51 weeks out of the year? And what are they going to do with the old convention center that mostly sits vacant 51 weeks out of the year? Turn it into a golf course?

2) Where are all the Merrie Monarch visitors supposed to stay after all the hotels on leased land are closed due to the state/county mismanagement and bureaucracy ?