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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Skank your heart out</title>

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Stephanie Salmons

Government & Politics

Real Estate

The City and County of Honolulu is taking another step toward transforming its urban core, choosing a partner to lead master-planning efforts around the 

Kūwili Station Transit-Oriented Development Redevelopment Area

a Honolulu-based Native Hawaiian-owned strategy, planning and design firm — 

 — has been selected to do the work following a competitive bid process, it was announced Monday.

BDP Quadrangle brings expertise in transit-oriented development and will support master-planning and urban design, Wilson-Okamoto Corp. will lead traffic analysis and infrastructure coordination while Nippon Koei will offer "systems-level insight" into transportation and urban infrastructure, the city said in the announcement.

 seeking a multidisciplinary planning and 

development team to prepare a TOD plan dubbed "Transforming Iwilei-Kapālama: Connecting People and Places," which the RFP noted is a "coordinated TOD and infrastructure investment program for development around the Iwilei-Kapālama sub-corridor."

The effort is a joint initiative of the city's Department of Housing and Land Management, Department of Planning and Permitting and Department of Transportation Services.

The city notes that this will be the first time the Iwilei-Kapālama area will be master-planned through a formalized joint city-state effort, a coordinated partnership between Honolulu and the Governor's Office of Housing "to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing and infrastructure in one of Honolulu’s most strategically located and publicly controlled urban corridors." 

According to the city, master-planning efforts will focus on "refining connectivity, improving multi-modal access to transit, and aligning infrastructure investments to support future housing, flood mitigation, and broader development in the area."

Kevin Auger, director-designate of DHLM, said in Monday's announcement that with the Kūwili station design "nearing finalization, and the pending selection of a 

development partner for the Iwilei Center

 — the timing is ideal to shape Iwilei into a vibrant, transit-connected neighborhood with the potential to deliver not just hundreds, but thousands of new, affordable homes.”

Auger told Aloha State Daily in June that, in plain terms, 

"the city is trying to go beyond just talking about future growth and planning, actually beginning to activate the planning efforts with real developments that can deliver more affordable housing.

"Over the years, many plans have outlined what a walkable, transit-oriented, affordable neighborhood could look like in Iwilei-Kapālama — this effort is about putting those ideas into action. It’s the difference between having a blueprint and starting construction."

This effort is different from, but closely related to, a request for qualifications, or RFQ, issued earlier this year for the 

redevelopment of the city-owned Iwilei Center

“It’s going to be eye-opening for people to see what transit-oriented development really looks like — getting off a station and being able to walk to housing, services, and destinations without needing to drive,” Tim Streitz, acting TOD Administrator at DPP, said in Monday's announcement. “This effort builds on more than a decade of station area planning and public engagement — and with this partnership, we’re turning that groundwork into a clear, coordinated path for implementation.”

Malia Ka‘aihue, founding partner and president of DTL, said in the announcement that the organization is "honored" to partner with the city.

“This project is about more than infrastructure — it’s about people, connection and building a future that reflects the identity and needs of our communities. Our goal is to create a plan that’s not only actionable, but deeply rooted in the voices of Iwilei and Kapālama, with a bold vision for a livable, equitable, and transit-connected neighborhood.”

According to the city, this effort is supported by a $2 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration's TOD Pilot Program, which was awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; a $700,000 state TOD

 Capital Improvement Planning Grant administered by the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; and $250,000 from the city.

Planning work should begin this summer with community engagement efforts and other "deliverables" planned through 2027.

0605 0848 Iwilei Kuwili Reimagined

<title>Honolulu selects partner for Iwilei-Kapālama planning effort</title>

Last month, the city issued a request for proposal seeking a multidisciplinary planning and development team to prepare a transit-oriented development plan called "Transforming Iwilei-Kapālama: Connecting People and Places."

Honolulu selects partner for Iwilei-Kapālama planning effort

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

When marketing executive Helene "Sam" Shenkus moved to Hawai‘i in 1984, she was supposed to be here for three years. More than 40 years later, she's still helping shape the retail landscape in the Islands.

Now the vice president and director of marketing at Waikīkī's Royal Hawaiian Center, a role she's been in since 2007, Shenkus has held executive-level marketing positions at Ala Moana Center, Aloha Tower Marketplace, Roberts Hawai‘i and even her own firm, Sam Shenkus Marketing Consulting. That's in addition to her substantial community service.

Shenkus was recently named one of four recipients of the 

2025 ICSC Trustees' Distinguished Service Award

. It's the highest volunteer honor from the International Council of Shopping Centers, and Shenkus is the first person from Hawai‘i to receive it. You can find a list of all the 

"Quite frankly, I was shocked and amazed that I had won it," she told Aloha State Daily of her award.

ASD recently spoke with Shenkus about her award, career and community service, and the work she's done since moving here in 1984.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Department store background"}]

Shenkus graduated with a degree in retailing and business from Michigan State University, then went to work with the largest retailer in the Detroit area — J.L. Hudson Co. — which merged with another to form the Dayton Hudson Corp. (itself was renamed 

"I had a department store background, and I really enjoyed it," she says. "I was in the buying end of it for a couple of years, but I really liked being in the stores and being in the operations. I was in the retail division ... and about every 10 months, they gave me another job."

In her last job at Dayton Hudson, Shenkus says she led a division of about 400 sales people spanning a number of departments, including children's, cosmetics and men's sportswear and suits.

[{"type":"text","text":"At the time, she was around 29."}]

"A lot of people think I have energy and I'm perky now, so imagine me at 29," she jokes.

Indeed, Shenkus is animated and detailed as she recounts her work history and the lessons she learned.

She then had the opportunity to go into the Dayton Hudson shopping center division. Eventually, she managed three different shopping centers before being approached about a job in the Islands.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Three years"}]

Shenkus says that the owner of the last shopping center she managed in Michigan had partnered with Japanese supermarket chain Daiei to acquire Ala Moana Center in the early 1980s.

She was approached about a position in Hawai‘i and given the option to be the marketing director or director of operations at Ala Moana.

"Marketing is way more fun than operations, so I said, 'I'll be the marketing director,'" Shekus told ASD. "I came to Hawai‘i in June 1984 as the marketing director of Ala Moana Center."

[{"type":"text","text":"Shenkus says she had never thought about coming to Hawai‘i."}]

"I never gave Hawai‘i a second thought. My mom 

 Jack Lord in Hawaii Five-O, but I was like, 'Oh, OK.'"

[{"type":"text","text":"She had a three-year contract, and now, \"here I am.\""}]

"Well, I came out here and the people are wonderful. I love, love, love the people here," she says. "And I found, because I was the marketing director of Ala Moana, a lot of people wanted to talk to me."

She stayed at Ala Moana Center until 1992, when she went to Aloha Tower Marketplace. Shenkus was there for a few years when she had the opportunity to become the vice president of marketing for Roberts Hawai‘i, where she "really got a fast learning curve on tourism."

After that, she had her own marketing firm for about a decade, and she "loved, loved loved it."

[{"type":"text","text":"Shenkus says she had a \"nice array of clients.\""}]

Out of all the clients she worked with, Shenkus spoke about the time she was approached by someone on the board of the Japan-America Society she says was worried that the organization didn't have a crisis communication plan in place.

Shenkus was asked to help pull such a plan together, which she did. And just weeks after it was finished, though, the plan was put to use when a nuclear submarine hit a Japanese student fishing boat off the coast of O‘ahu 

, management company of Royal Hawaiian Center, in 2007. Here, she 

leads the "strategic planning and implementation of marketing, advertising and social media, merchant communications, public, community and business communications relations" for the shopping center. She also heads the Marketing Strategy for the company's lifestyle and tourism retail portfolio, the site notes.

Having worked in Waikīkī for nearly two decades now, we asked Shenkus about the biggest changes she's seen in that time.

The hotels here have "always been world class," she says, but "the Waikīkī that surrounds the hotels has really become more elevated. It's become more international, quite frankly, and it's also become more Hawaiian."

At Royal Hawaiian Center, for example, Shenkus says there's now water features, greenery, a stage for performing and the shopping center has a "very, very robust cultural program."

"If you look at Waikīkī now, you as a guest at the Royal [Hawaiian], at the Sheraton Waikīkī, at the Halekulani, when you walk out of your hotel and you explore Waikīkī, there is a lot to see, there is a lot do, there's a lot to eat, there's a wonderful atmosphere and you know you're in Hawai‘i. There's a sense of place."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Community service"}]

Outside of work, community service is key for Shenkus, who says she's a "serial, habitual joiner."

"If there's a problem, I'm like, 'Oh, OK. How can I help? What can I do?'" she told ASD.

By the late 1980s, Shenkus says she was on the board of Aloha Festivals. She's served as co-chair since 2012.

For more than 20 years, Shenkus has been a member of the Salvation Army Honolulu Advisory Board, and she's involved in a number of professional organizations, including the Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Hotel and Lodging Association, Waikīkī Improvement Association, Friends of Honolulu City Lights, and the ICSC, where she's the Hawai‘i marketplace director,  a short bio provided to ASD noted. She also is a member and past-president of the Rotary Club of Ala Moana.

Shenkus also has served as the president of the Marco Polo AOAO, or Association of Apartment Owners, as past chair of the Hawai‘i Dental Service Board of Directors and a board member of the Girl Scouts Council of Hawai‘i.

"To me, I think it's really important that when you have opportunities to help people or to make a difference or to solve a problem, you do it," Shenkus says. It's her way of supporting the community and giving back.

And as for her award from ICSC, Shenkus didn't know she was even up for the recognition.

"I got an email from the president and CEO of this organization congratulating me," she told ASD. "... [I was] totally, totally out of the loop. I had no idea."

"I really didn't believe it until I was actually getting the award in Las Vegas."

Sam Shenkus 0625

<title>Royal Hawaiian Center's Sam Shenkus recognized</title>

Shenkus recently received the 2025 ICSC Trustees' Distinguished Service Award, the highest volunteer recognition from the International Council of Shopping Centers. Aloha State Daily recently spoke with Shenkus about her award, career and community service.

Royal Hawaiian Center's Sam Shenkus recognized

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

The Honolulu Division of Motor Vehicles promises that recent delays in securing new vehicle registrations will be resolved soon.

For months, car dealerships in Honolulu have experienced weeks-long delays in receiving new vehicles’ titles and registration from the city.

The process is supposed to take no more than 10 business days, Harold Nedd, spokesperson for the city Department of Customer Services — which oversees the DMV — told Aloha State Daily. But, in recent months, processing times have ballooned to several times that.

Last month, Nedd said via email, processing rates were about five weeks long. And as of July 1, the DMV had a backlog of about 6,200 pending transactions to be processed, a 40% increase from March.

Nedd said that the delays have been caused by a surge in activity at auto dealers, which has “exceeded the capacity” of DMV staff. However, Nedd emphasized that the issue is not the result of city staffing shortages.

On the other hand, licensed auto dealers are only allowed to schedule one registration appointment with the DMV per location per day, and only make two transactions per appointment.

But, Nedd told ASD that the Department of Customer Services intends to resolve the situation “within the next few weeks,” when, he hopes, the DMV can return to the 10-day processing standard.

“We are actively working toward this goal by redirecting resources within the department to improve the turnaround time; looking at technology to enhance our efficiency; and streamlining procedures to better ensure our effectiveness in the future,” Nedd said. “We have prioritized improving the processing time for commercial motor vehicle registrations to help ensure that lives are not put on hold and auto dealers can continue to fully contribute to our local economy.”

[{"type":"text","text":"ASD reached out to multiple Honolulu car dealerships for comment."}]

20250703 164809 16x9

<title>DMV promises end to registration delays in 'next few weeks'</title>

Weeks-long wait times for registrations to shorten as DMV works through thousands of backlogged registrations

DMV promises end to registration delays in 'next few weeks'

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Columnists

Known for its laid-back charm, Kaimukī sits mauka of Diamond Head and Waikīkī. It’s a neighborhood of striking contrasts, where longtime family-owned diners and mom-and-pop shops are juxtaposed alongside fast food joints and corporate chains. Modest, early twentieth-century plantation-style homes stand beside newer, more modern homes and towering “monster houses,” revealing an ongoing tension between preservation and progress.

Kaimukī has retained a slower pace in the face of change. It’s a place where old legends linger in the landscape, where neighbors still know each other, and where modern life coexists with the stories of Hawaiʻi’s past. With its rocky land and red soil, Kaimukī was the first major subdivision in Hawaiʻi.

Before the towering skyscrapers of Waikīkī blotted out the shoreline, Kaimukī had sweeping views of the ocean. In 1914, when the neighborhood was still new, Ed Towse, former Justice of Hawaiʻi’s Territorial Supreme Court, wrote, “Those sunsets of which Stevenson wrote so graphically when at Waikīkī seem to have double value from the upland of Kaimukī. Almost every evening in the year, all sit on the lanais or lawns and feast the eyes with the panoramic play of azures and golds until the sun drops into the ocean. Then follow the mysteries of the long afterglow.”

As for the name “Kaimukī,” its origin is uncertain. One story suggests the Menehune once used the area to make their imu for roasting ti plants, safely away from the troublesome pig-god Kamapuaʻa. According to this interpretation, Kaimukī breaks down to ka (the), imu (oven), and kī (ti plant), meaning “The Ti Oven.”

Although the area was dry with no immediate source for fresh water, developers built a reservoir at the top of Puʻu o Kaimukī, piping the water along Kaimukī Avenue and out to the individual plots of land for houses.

Puʻu o Kaimukī is one of the area’s defining natural features. Sometimes called “Kaimukī Hill,” it has served various roles over the years, including a water reservoir, a telegraph station, an observatory, and now, a public park. Locals know it by several names. One of the most familiar is “Christmas Tree Park” due to the lighted tree at its top during the holidays, but some kūpuna still call it “Reservoir Park.” During World War II, it was given the nickname “Bunker Hill” after being used as a military observation post. Still others refer to it as “Menehune Hill,” tied to a legend that a lone Menehune once inhabited the area.

Historically, Kaimukī played a role in Kamehameha’s campaign to conquer Oʻahu after his victories over Maui and Molokai. He landed his forces at Waikīkī with the intent of seizing the island, a move that would nearly complete his unification of the Hawaiian Islands, though only Kauaʻi remained separate. From the slopes of Pu‘u o Kaimukī, scouts could monitor the movements of Kalanikūpule’s warriors across the Kona district of Oʻahu. Messengers ran reports of enemy activity back to Kamehameha, who waited at Waikīkī.

On the eastern slope of Pu‘u o Kaimukī are the remnants of an ancient heiau. Though it’s still debated, most Kaimukī residents accept the name of the heiau as Kukuionapeha, meaning Napeha’s light or beacon. Some historians believe that Kukuionapeha heiau was dedicated to navigation and wayfinding, a fitting purpose given its hilltop location and the meaning of its name. Others think the heiau may have been a heiau ho‘ola, dedicated to healing the sick or injured.

Sadly, there isn’t much history of the ancient structure other than Thrum’s note that it was in Kaimukī, “at the town side of old signal station. All destroyed.”

Today, Pu‘u o Kaimukī is a peaceful park with beautiful panoramic views, but its rich history gives rise to ancient legends that remain relevant in modern times.

A person I met on one of my tours told me that he grew up in a house near the Kaimukī fire station and that, more often than not, he would spend his evenings at Pu‘u o Kaimukī Park with his mother.

“She would always talk about a female procession of spirits who came right through the park and through our home,” he said. “She was adamant about it, even though nothing ever happened in our house.”

As a boy, he would sit and listen to these fantastic tales for hours. When he was older, his mother became more specific, telling him that in the mauka direction, across Wai‘alae Avenue atop a little hill, once stood Maumae Heiau and the compound of the O‘ahu Ali‘i Kakuhihewa.

“I believe this wahine procession comes from that place, through this park and our home, and then other houses in this upper part of Kaimukī, until it disappears somewhere in Kapahulu,” she told him. “I believe it’s a procession of wahine who are kapu.”

Years later, the man’s mother chose to spend her final moments at home. The experience was overwhelming, and one night, he decided to go for a walk. Ending up at Pu‘u o Kaimukī Park, he sat there, drowning in grief, paying little attention to the lights of the city. Then movement caught his attention.

“There they were,” he said, “Very faint at first, but very much there. A long procession of Hawaiian women. It was just like my mother said. They came through the park and were heading toward my house. I ran home at full speed. The dogs in the neighborhood barked wildly, and it made me run faster. I must have burst through the door because everyone in the living room let out a shout of surprise.”

[{"type":"text","text":"He paused for a second, remembering."}]

“I was just in time to hold my mother’s hands before she went. She wasn’t looking at me, though; she was looking behind me like there were other people there. Then she passed peacefully.”

In 2020, just as we were starting to host in-person tours again, I met someone who has since become a great friend and, as we would later discover, a family member through a mutual blood tie on the island of Hawai‘i.

Due to his line of work, he’s had numerous encounters with spirits, burials, and a few deaths while on the job. On one occasion, we broached the topic of the huaka‘i pō, the night marchers. In a very matter-of-fact tone, my friend said that there is a female night marcher procession that travels during the Hua moon phase when it rises over Molokai. Their march goes past the fire station, through Kukuionapeha Heiau and Pu‘u o Kaimukī, and through the neighborhood, toward Diamond Head.

“It disappears on Esther Street, near the school for the deaf and blind, and resurfaces at the Natatorium,” he said.

These two stories were shared with me years apart, where one confirmed and completed the other. No matter how much our neighborhood changes, there appears to be more history, spiritual and otherwise, about Kaimukī of which we are not entirely aware.

Sunset from Puu o Kaimuki

<title>The women who march at night in Kaimukī</title>

A little place history, as well as stories of "a female procession of spirits" at Puʻu o Kaimukī.

The women who march at night in Kaimukī

Arts & Culture

[{"type":"text","text":"Two local organizations have joined forces in a new retail partnership."}]

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a member-based nonprofit that aims to advance the cultural, economic and community development of Native Hawaiians, assumed operations of the Bishop Museum gift shop, Shop Pacifica, today, July 1.

With the move comes plans to refresh the space under a new name and showcase Hawai‘i-made and designed projects, the organizations said in a joint announcement Monday.

Dee Jay Mailer, president and CEO of Bishop Museum, said in the announcement that the partnership is a “natural extension” of the museum’s mission to “celebrate and perpetuate the rich history and culture of Hawai‘i and the Pacific.”

“CNHA’s deep community ties and commitment to Native Hawaiian businesses make them an ideal partner in strengthening how the museum reflects and uplifts our community.”

The announcement notes that under CNHA's leadership, the museum shop "will continue to serve visitors in carrying fond memories home while always being a space for cultural exchange and community engagement."

Planned experiences include product showcases, creative workshops and other events that "reflect the museum's role as a gathering place for learning and connection."

Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of CNHA, said in the announcement that, at its best, retail is a platform for "cultural connection and story telling." 

“We’re honored to reimagine this space to highlight our local makers and create authentic experiences for both residents and visitors.”

In an emailed response to questions from Aloha State Daily, Lewis said that through its Kilohana division, the nonprofit has been "partnering with community organizations to expand opportunities for local businesses to access visitor-facing locations."

"By offering authentic, locally made and culturally inspired products, these efforts support the state and community's shared goal of building a more regenerative model of tourism," he continued. "CNHA also brings proven retail expertise through 

 — formerly called Pop-up Mākeke — which has been a platform for elevating Hawai‘i-based entrepreneurs since its launch in 2020."

Lewis says the new venture will bring together products from The Mākeke and the recently acquired Nā Mea Hawai‘i.

The nonprofit announced in June that it had acquired the "cultural hub and marketplace" founded by Maile Meyer which 

 the work of artists and crafters from Hawai‘i.

At that time, the organization said that as a part of CNHA, Nā Mea Hawai‘i would be "integrated into a larger suite of economic and entrepreneurial initiatives," including the KūHana Business Accelerator, The Mākeke, an online market place; and business development services.

"This is the first time Nā Mea Hawai‘i and The Mākeke will share a space together, allowing us to offer a richer mix of curated local products," Lewis said. "Like Nā Mea Hawai‘i, the store will also showcase makers and designers through special features and events."

According to Lewis, visitors can expect a curated mix of local fashion, accessories, snacks, memorabilia and more. The rebranding is in progress and a grand opening celebration is being planned for early August.

[{"type":"text","text":" He expects the transition to be \"seamless.\""}]

"It will take place overnight and continue to evolved in the coming months," Lewis told ASD.

Lewis said the shop will focus on and highlight locally made and designed products, including items created in collaboration with Bishop Museum that connect directly to exhibits and artifacts.

"We're always looking for the next great locally made product," he said.

As for vendors who previously were selling items at the museum, "CNHA will make a good faith effort to continue working with vendors who performed well at the museum and align with our mission and values," Lewis noted.

Bishop Museum Campus

<title>CNHA assumes operation of Bishop Museum gift shop</title>

With the move comes plans to refresh the space under a new name and showcase Hawai‘i-made and designed projects, the organizations recently announced.

CNHA assumes operation of Bishop Museum gift shop

A Tantalus home that once belonged to actor Richard Chamberlain 

Perched above Honolulu, the 1.8-acre property at 3711 Round Top Drive — listed by Derek Kamm and Schyler Murakami with Coldwell Banker Island Properties — offers views of Diamond Head, the Pacific and the city below.

Murakami told Aloha State Daily Thursday that there are three homes on the property: a 4-bed, 3.5-bath main house that's roughly 3,700 square feet; a 2-bedroom, 1-bath guest house that's about 1,100 square feet; and a studio — along with some large, grassy areas; a tennis court; and an infinity-edge pool.

"It's pretty unique once you're up there," he told ASD. The property, he says, is peaceful and secluded.

"What the current owners like about it is how secluded it is, yet you're 20 minutes away from Honolulu or from Waikīkī."

According to Murakami, the current owners have owned the property for about 20 years and purchased it from Chamberlain's estate. The property hit the market about two weeks ago.

Murakami says you'd likely see a handful of homes for sale on Round Top Drive and in Tantalus each year, but it's rare to see large estates like this.

Chamberlain, a longtime Hawai‘i resident, was known for his leading roles in the 1960s TV series "Dr. Kildare," 1980's "Shōgun," 

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Skank your heart out

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Skank your heart out

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Monday work blues

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Most read