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Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Plans by the U.S. Navy and NASA to extend their leases for more than 8,100 acres on Kaua‘i are up in the air.

In August, the Navy and NASA concurrently 

 a final environmental impact statement for a proposed 25-year extension of their respective leases of the Pacific Missile Range Facility and the Kōke‘e Park Geophysical Observatory on Kaua‘i.

However, on Thursday, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that the Navy and NASA have withdrawn that statement, requiring them to start their environmental documentation process over.

 by Rear Admiral Rich Jarrett, Navy Region Hawai‘i commander, and Denise Thaller, administrator of NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure, only said their agencies have “elected to undertake additional review and refinement of the environmental documentation before pursuing further state review.”

“The Navy and NASA remain committed to continued coordination with DLNR and to providing the [Board of Land and Natural Resources] with environmental documentation that supports an informed review of the proposed real estate action,” the letter concluded.

The BLNR had a deadline to accept the final EIS by the end of September. However, the impacts of Hurricane Lowell on Kaua‘i caused DLNR to suspend that deadline to allow Kaua‘i residents additional time to participate in the public comment period.

With the Navy and NASA rescinding their final EIS, that deadline is now moot. Should the two agencies choose to continue the environmental documentation process, the DLNR announced that they will be required to submit a new draft EIS first, compliant with all state filing requirements, including a new public-comment period, a process that will likely take months to years.

The existing leases and easements the Navy and NASA have for the lands will expire between 2027 and 2030.

DLNR First Deputy Director Dave Day said the DLNR believes the agencies’ decision to be “in the best interest of the people of Hawai‘i.”

“Whether a person agrees or disagrees with this particular project, the Navy and NASA’s decision to withdraw the FEIS and potentially work to address concerns demonstrates respect for Hawai

i law and a responsiveness by federal agencies to the views of the people of Hawai

i who made their voices heard,” Day said.

The project has been controversial. Public 

 held on Kaua‘i last year saw dozens of Kaua‘i residents criticize the PMRF and accuse it of diverting water from vulnerable wetlands.

The decision to suspend the environmental documentation process would seem to continue a trend of U.S. military lease extensions stalling in the state. In May 2025, the BLNR 

 a proposal by the U.S. Army to extend its lease for the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawai‘i Island, which is set to expire in 2029.

And earlier this week, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser 

 that the Army has proposed terminating its leases for the Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area and the Mākua Military Reservation on O‘ahu, and parts of its leases for Pōhakuloa and the Kahuku Training Area.

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<title>Kaua‘i missile range lease extension stalls</title>

U.S. Navy and NASA withdraw environmental statement for 25-year lease extension of facilities on Kaua‘i.

Kaua‘i missile range lease extension stalls

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

What happened to Waikīkī? Specifically, what happened to Waikīkī during its greatest period of change that began in the 1950s? Let’s look at these “then & now” comparisons of Waikīkī views to see very clearly how different things look today.

Why did Waikīkī change so much in the last 70 years? The growth of tourism, of course, was responsible. Speaking economically, it’s extremely fortunate that tourism did increase so dramatically during this period as it served to fill in the gap created as large-scale agriculture (sugar and pineapple) either contracted dramatically, or died altogether. These had been the foundation of the economy of the Hawaiian Islands but were outcompeted by other tropical countries, where workers were paid considerably less and thus their agricultural products were cheaper as well. This has been, and continues to be, the reason for the loss of domestic production in the United States and indeed worldwide.

When did Waikīkī's major changes begin? This is easy to pinpoint: it was the year 1955. That was when four new 10-story buildings were completed here; the Waikīkī Biltmore Hotel, the Princess Ka‘iulani Hotel, the Reef Hotel, and the Rosalei apartments. As insignificant as this would seem today, it marked a shift away from downtown as the focus of new construction, as well as starting Honolulu on its vertical growth.

We can also single out the shift in transportation for Waikīkī's increase in density, which was the replacement of cruise ships by airplanes for increasing numbers of tourists after World War II. While air travel grew significantly during the 1950s it was really the introduction of jets that kicked off the explosion. The first jets arrived in Hawai‘i in 1959, cutting hours from the trip from the west coast, carrying far more passengers on each flight compared to propeller planes and — most significantly — reducing air fares. Waikīkī couldn’t help but grow to accommodate all these new people. A major milestone was unexpectedly realized in late 1967 when the one-millionth tourist arrived for that year, ahead of what economists had predicted. There would be no looking back.

A change you might notice in these various pairs of Waikīkī views is the great increase in growing green vegetation today. This has been true in many parts of Honolulu and because trees increase so slowly in size, we don’t notice how large they’ve become until we see an older photo to be able to spot the difference. Kalākaua Avenue has benefitted from more than one improvement project since the 1960s, to where today’s sidewalks are paved with hand-set stones, many with inscriptions in Hawaiian. Shady shower trees along with grass and various shrubs greatly enhance the district’s appearance, and maintenance workers are on the job each day to sweep and clean. Waikīkī creates the biggest part of the income from tourism and its importance in keeping this income steady was recognized years ago — so this necessary work goes on.

By the late 1970s much of Waikīkī looked as it does today, because while more towers have certainly been constructed since then, much of what we know now was in place. Although Waikīkī has been a crowded and densely urbanized district for decades, and has been criticized for that, it must be said that a great many visitors enjoy this vitality and the over-abundance of things to see and do. And even while Waikīkī is undeniably a city of itself, it is still located on the magnificently blue Pacific Ocean, with the Ko‘olau Mountains as one backdrop and Diamond Head as another, with the trade winds often blowing through it. And love it or hate it, we owe our economy to it, and had therefore better make sure it continues to function as smoothly as possible.

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<title>What happened to Waikīkī?</title>

Back in the Statehood era, you could see Punchbowl from Kalākaua Avenue and Diamond Head from Kūhiō Avenue. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown pairs then-and-now photos to show the dramatic changes from a low-rise Waikīkī to today's bustling mini-metropolis.

What happened to Waikīkī?

Ray Tsuchiyama

Business & Tourism

I have been thinking about Honolulu rail for more than 

In the 1980s, I was the Hawaiʻi representative for a

 that proposed to design, finance, build and operate a 22-mile Honolulu rail system at no cost to City coffers, in exchange for

 for hotels, residential, retail, and mixed-use projects.

Mayor Frank Fasi chose a different approach.

Fast-forward four decades. In fall 2026, the

 is being built along Dillingham Boulevard, moving inch-by-inch towards downtown Honolulu.

I have followed that journey from varied perspectives. I grew up in Kalihi. Later, my real estate career took me into commercial development, while my international work gave me chances to study rail and large-scale mixed-use projects in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Vancouver, and other cities.

That combination has changed the way I think about Honolulu rail.

We have spent decades discussing routes, costs, construction, ridership, and schedules. Rail is now real in Honolulu — a 

, albeit an incomplete one (where will be its final easternmost O‘ahu “terminus”?).

So, we should ask a different question: What happens 

 the rail stations? Could a station become the center of an economy where people live, work, shop and build businesses in the same neighborhood?

When I was growing up in Kalihi in the 1960s and ’70s, I remember a neighborhood where people lived close to their jobs. There were warehouses, light manufacturing, restaurants, retail stores, and small businesses. People walked to work. They shopped locally. Businesses served the people who lived nearby.

I remember people walking to jobs at restaurants and a grocery store on Umi Street, near Fern Elementary. I remember bowling at Kalihi Bowl and eating a Suzy Q burger (40 cents) at Jolly Rogers on Dillingham Boulevard.

It was not economic theory — it was simply how the neighborhood worked.

Today, the pattern is different. Many Kalihi residents travel outside the neighborhood for work. A rail system can make that commute faster and easier. But should that be the only economic objective? Why shouldn't a major rail investment also help create jobs in the communities it serves?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"That question changes the conversation."}]

I would add a third element, and a fourth: 

Transit + Housing + Jobs + Local Ownership.

The objective should not simply be to move Kalihi residents more efficiently to jobs somewhere else. What if Skyline could also help attract employers, businesses, customers, and investment into Kalihi itself — making rail not just a transportation investment, but an economic development one?

Before talking about density, zoning, or land values, Honolulu should start somewhere simpler: Understand the neighborhood. Do an audit. For a community around a Skyline station, ask:

. It begins with people and jobs, not a consultant's rendering of a 20-story building financed by "some" investor. It also raises another question — should Skyline's success be measured only by ridership, or also by the economic opportunities created around its stations?

My international experience reinforced one lesson: Successful rail systems can become much more than transportation networks. In Tokyo, Hong Kong, Vancouver and other cities, rail stations have become centers of economic activity — housing, offices, retail, restaurants, services, and businesses clustered around them.

The lesson is not that Honolulu should copy those cities; it has its own landownership patterns, geography, demographics, and priorities. But the underlying principle holds: A rail station can become an economic center if investment, land, and development are organized around it.

What could a Kalihi Skyline rail station become?

Imagine a different kind of train station-area development. Not simply:

Train station → housing → residents commute elsewhere.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"But:"}]

Train station → housing + businesses + jobs + retail + restaurants + services.

A resident might live near the station, work nearby, shop locally, and take the train when traveling elsewhere. A business might locate there because it can reach both customers and employees. A small local company might grow into a larger enterprise. A new employer might recruit workers from surrounding neighborhoods. And a family that has owned land in Kalihi for generations might participate in a new development rather than simply just “hold” or sell its property.

So now I see that rail is the beginning, not the end.

The next story of Skyline is not really about the train — it is about what happens around the station. If we want to understand that future, we should stop asking only 

how many new opportunities Skyline can help create?

Could the Kalihi Skyline station become the center of a new entrepreneurial Kalihi economy?

The answer will depend on more than rail. It will depend on people, land, local knowledge, patient ownership, capital plus a vision.

ay Tsuchiyama’s series explores one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Skyline 100925 1

<title>Honolulu's next story is not about rail. It is about jobs.</title>

Could a Skyline station become the center of a local economy where people live, work, shop and build businesses in the same neighborhood?

Honolulu's next story is not about rail. It is about jobs.

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

A new Japanese-style egg salad sandwich is available at 

 stores starting tomorrow, Sept. 1, while supplies last. The sandwich will be $5.99 at 7-Eleven Hawai

ahu ($6.49 at 7-Eleven Hawaii stores on Kaua

This new sandwich is inspired by the popular egg salad sandwiches offered by 7-Eleven Japan. The egg sando is a hot commodity in Japan, known for its creamy filling and soft bread.

i’s new Japanese-style egg salad sandwich features locally baked fluffy shokupan bread and a creamy egg salad filling. This new version does not include lettuce; 7-Eleven Hawai

i will continue to offer its regular egg salad sandwich — which is a deli item with lettuce — in-stores.

“7-Eleven Japan is known for elevating everyday convenience-store foods, and we are excited to bring our own locally made take on its beloved egg salad sandwich to customers in Hawaii,” states Greg Hanna, president and CEO of 7-Eleven Hawai

i. “By pairing the Japanese-inspired recipe with Shokupan bread baked here in Hawai

i, we created something that reflects both our Japanese roots and our connection to the local community.”

i, Inc. operates more than 60 stores across O

7 Eleven Hawaii Japanese style egg salad sandwich without wrapper 083126

<title>7-Eleven Hawaiʻi launches new, Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches</title>

The new sandwich — featuring a creamy egg salad filling between locally baked Shokupan bread — is available at 7-Eleven Hawaiʻi stores starting Sept. 1.

7-Eleven Hawaiʻi launches new, Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches

Peter Adler without coat 2022 1011447 copy Large

Peter S. Adler, PhD

In this follow-up to Part 1, ASD columnist Peter Adler weighs the arguments, evidence, and open questions surrounding Honolulu’s proposed shift to ranked-choice voting.

Ranked choice voting red

Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 2: The case for, and against, changing how Oʻahu elects its leaders

Honolulu voters will soon weigh a 2032 shift to a single-election ranked choice system for its mayor, city council members and prosecuting attorney. In this two-part series, ASD columnist Peter S. Adler explains how ranked choice voting works, and explores the arguments for and against it.

Ranked choice voting

Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 1: Analysis of a possible game change

It’s time for a change. Leadership is more than charisma or slogans; it requires choosing real problems and acting with enough integrity and reasonableness that the public can judge results fairly. ASD introduces a new data-driven opinion column to help readers understand what works in Hawai‘i, what doesn't, and how we stack up against other states.

Hawaii state capitol from the south east 16x9

The breakthrough that Hawai‘i needs: Measuring what leaders do

Peter Adler is a Guild Consulting partner; he specializes in foresight, strategy, and negotiated problem-solving and has extensive experience in conflict management, public policy and multi-party dialogue. He and his colleagues are occasional columnists for Aloha State Daily; the views expressed are their own.

Peter S. Adler, PhD

Latest from Peter S. Adler, PhD

Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 2: The case for, and against, changing how Oʻahu elects its leaders

Ranked choice voting in Honolulu, part 1: Analysis of a possible game change

The breakthrough that Hawai‘i needs: Measuring what leaders do

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