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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Craig Washofsky at Kailua Beach. "

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26 1 12 Craig Washofsky

<title>Hawai‘i Skies: Sunrise to start the day</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Craig Washofsky at Kailua Beach.

Hawai‘i Skies: Sunrise to start the day

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Craig Washofsky at Kailua Beach. &quot;What a great way to start the day!&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Daniel Farr 02

Daniel Farr

Government & Politics

A proposal from Honolulu City Councilmember Andria Tupola would make it easier to develop affordable rental housing on Oʻahu.

The Affordable Rental Housing Program, adopted in 2019, was designed to encourage affordable housing by easing certain zoning and construction rules. Tupola said in a recent announcement that only six projects have been completed under the program since its adoption.

As proposed, Bill 18 would expand where affordable housing projects are allowed, increase the number of units permitted on each zoning lot, and eliminate maximum lot and building area requirements and fixed height limits, among other provisions. Building heights could reach the maximum allowed by the underlying zoning. 

“At least 80% of units must be rented to households earning 100% of area median income or below, with rents tied to federal HUD limits,” Tupola told Aloha State Daily, adding that, units “must remain affordable for at least 15 years after a certificate of occupancy is issued.”

Hawai‘i needs an estimated 64,490 additional housing units by 2027 to meet demand, according to the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corp.’s 2024 Hawai‘i Housing Planning 

The City and County of Honolulu has the largest shortfall, requiring 25,710 units to meet demand. The study notes that 18,676 of those units (73%) are needed for households earning 80% of Area Median Income or below.

Tupola also said the bill does not create new funding programs, change taxes, or alter developer fees. It simply reforms development rules to make affordable housing easier to build.

As of Friday, one member of the public submitted written testimony ahead of the hearing, suggesting that affordable housing projects include accessibility features such as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant units, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and designated parking.

Bill 18 is scheduled for a hearing before the full Honolulu City Council at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Honolulu Hale.

Tupola 16x9

<title>Bill aims to boost affordable housing in Honolulu</title>

Bill 18 aims to relax zoning limits, increase density near transit, and speed construction of affordable units across Oʻahu.

Bill aims to boost affordable housing in Honolulu

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

If you can’t decide between yakiniku or hot pot, this new Waipahu eatery offers the best of both worlds.

 opened recently in the former Outback Steakhouse Waipio restaurant space. The eatery features two dining experiences — all-you-can-eat hot pot is on one side, and a la carte yakiniku is on the other.

We’re told the “916” in the eatery’s name is a combination of the restaurant owners’ birthdays, and symbolizes synergy, success and growth.

The yakiniku experience features popular combo packages, including options that serve two to three, three to four and four to six people.

The yakiniku feast ($89.95) — designed to serve two to three people — is one of the most popular options. It includes brisket, spicy chicken, bulgogi, pork belly, shirmp and assorted veggies.

These combo packages also include the eatery’s daily selection of banchan.

If you want more meat, you can choose from the eatery’s a la carte menu, which includes options like kalbi (bone-in short rib), beef bulgogi, rib-eye steak, boneless galbi, spicy pork belly, spicy chicken, jumbo head-on shrimp and more.

Customers can also order appetizers like seafood pancakes ($15.95), 916 house fried rice ($18.95), Korean-style steamed egg ($12.95) — which requires about 10 minutes preparation time — and the 916 bi bim bap ($22.95). The latter includes housemade assorted banchan, sliced beef, a sunny side egg and steamed white rice; it’s designed to serve two people.

Meanwhile, the all-you-can-eat hot pot experience costs $25.50 per person during lunch and is $32.95 per person during dinner. Kids ages 5 years and under have free admission; children ages 6 to 10 years get 50% off.

Lunch is from opening to 2 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Dinner is served from 2 p.m. to closing, and the AYCE dinner price is available all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. There’s a 90-minute time limit for the all-you-can-eat experience.

Customers can choose from signature broths like tonkatsu, traditioanl (beef base with bonito finish), vegan tomato, creamy chicken, tan tan and shellfish miso. The latter two are only available during dinner.

Then, help yourself to a variety of proteins and veggies from the buffet bar. The selection includes bok choy, broccoli, imitation crab, mussels, lobster balls and Swai fillet. There are also sauces and garnishes like Sriracha mayo, ponzu sauce, hoisin sauce, chopped garlic and ginger, and spicy Gochujang sauce.

Once you return to your table, you can order meats like pork belly, beef brisket, chicken, beef chuck roll and boneless beef shortribs (served during dinner only). There are 2 to 3 ounces of each per serving.

During dinner, you can choose to add Shabuzen flavored oils to the broth — select from smoked bonito oil or smoked onion oil.

For an additional charge ($3), you can also add sake to your broth, resulting in a richer, more flavorful broth experience.

Open 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays

916 Restaurant grilling 091625

<title>New Waipahu restaurant features a dual dining experience</title>

916 Grill St. + ShabuZen, open in the former Outback Steakhouse in Waipio, offers all-you-can-eat shabu shabu and an a la carte yakiniku experience.

New Waipahu restaurant features a dual dining experience

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

Ala Moana Shopping Center is said to be the largest open-air mall in the world, but its beginnings were far humbler. Long before the plans were drawn and the foundation was laid, this flat, sandy area was once filled with loko i‘a (fishponds) and loko i‘a kalo (taro fields used to raise small fish). The ‘ili (land division) of Kālia ran from the ‘Ewa end of Ala Moana Center to what is now Halekūlani Hotel.

Within these wetlands, wildlife was abundant, and Hawaiian families lived and worked to care for the land and feed their people. They raised their children here, and served their ali‘i as was required, and lived out their years as a community of abundance. 

In the 1920s, the landscape of Kālia changed drastically as the Ala Wai Canal was created. The marshes, the lo‘i kalo, and loko i‘a were filled in with the dredge from the canal project, leaving a foundation for future developers. Later, a daring idea of an expansive, two-level, open-air mall broke ground. In August 1959, Ala Moana opened its doors, and almost overnight, it reshaped Honolulu’s commercial landscape. Where Fort Street once bustled as the city’s premier shopping district, lined with department stores and filled with foot traffic, Ala Moana offered something new and modern. With its wide walkways, ample parking, and a design that encouraged strolling between open-air shops, the mall became the city’s new hub for commerce and social life.

The shopping mall grew steadily, adding new wings and anchor stores as Honolulu expanded around it. Soon, Ala Moana Center was recognized as an international destination, blending entertainment, everyday necessities, and luxury stores. Its stage in the center court became a place for hula shows, school performances, and community events, reminding shoppers that the center is also a gathering place.

But beneath the polished storefronts and bustling walkways lies a much older story—one that reaches back to the days when Kālia was nothing more than sand, wetlands, and fishponds. In those sands, generations of Hawaiians laid their loved ones to rest. Though the newspapers of the 1950s said nothing of such discoveries during construction, the uncovering of pre-contact burials in the immediate vicinity in recent years reminds us that Ala Moana was not built on empty ground.

Behind the scenes, often out of view of the customers, Ala Moana Shopping Center takes on another life entirely. Employees who have worked its halls day in and day out tell of shadows that do not belong to any living person, of whispers caught in the stillness, and of presences that refuse to let go of the space.

One former worker at Sears confessed that the stockroom was unbearably haunted. At first, she just saw glimpses of a small girl darting between racks where no child should have been. After a few weeks, sightings of this girl were constant, even early in the mornings before the store opened. Another person stated that he once saw a man gliding across the sales floor in the middle of the day. He emphasized gliding.

“As in, his body didn’t bounce like a normal person walking,” he said, “The dude literally floated across the floor because he had no feet!”

There were strange sounds, too. At night, it sounded like hangers scraping over the metal bars of the clothing racks when no one was nearby. Others claimed to hear heavy ladders being dragged across the tile floors. The most numerous complaints were strange footsteps. One person said they’d often hear steps behind them as if someone was following them. Another said they heard what sounded like dozens of people walking past, but the store was already closed and no one was there.

And then there are the stories from the loading docks, places few shoppers ever notice. One man remembers working late at night, running air conditioning conduits overhead along the Mauka side and through the service corridor near where the old Arby’s used to be. As they approached the service corridor, one man jumped down from the scissor lift to open the door. He struggled a bit and realized that it was locked tight, the knob refusing to turn.

He turned around and started walking back to the lift, calling out, “The door’s locked!”

Suddenly, the door swung open behind him. For a long moment, no one spoke. The four men stared at the open doorway, the echo of what had just happened leaving their skin cold. Two decades later, the memory still lingers, sharper than any dream.

Another construction worker shared his story about the area when Foodland used to be near the Post Office. They were working on renovations, and in the middle of the day, he saw a Hawaiian woman walking through the construction area. He yelled at her because she was barefoot and not wearing a hard hat. As he rushed to approach her, he said she just walked right through the wall.

The old-timers at Sears whispered that Ala Moana sits atop a portal, a crossing point for spirits. Although the center has changed dramatically over the years, some things, like hauntings and portals, neer go away. Maybe it was the sandy ground, once used for burials, or maybe something older still, tied to the waters and fishponds that once filled Kālia. Whatever the reason, the mall seems to hold open a door to the other side.

Ala Moana Loading Dock Gates Large

<title>Hauntings at Hawai‘i’s Biggest Mall</title>

With a long history of Hawaiians living in the area prior to Ala Mona Center's development, the shopping center has been home to many strange and eerie sightings.

Hawai‘i Skies: Sunrise to start the day

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