Environmental Impact Statement and master planning process for replacement Aloha Stadium gets underway

The Stadium Authority announced late last month that it is beginning the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and master planning process for a replacement for Aloha Stadium. It made the announcement while introducing Crawford Architects as its master planning and environmental review consultant, as well as releasing the firm’s Alternative Site Analysis.

Based in Kansas City, Crawford Architects is a successful and award-winning international planning, architecture and interiors design firm, with additional offices in California and Washington (United States), and one in Sydney, Australia.

Ross Yamasaki, Chair of the Stadium Authority, said in a statement:

We’re proud to have such a high caliber consultant like Crawford Architects leading our master planning and EIS process. They’re one of the best in the business having had a hand in some of the most high-profile stadium projects and mixed-use developments in the country including work for the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field, and Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field.

The Alternative Site Analysis examined six sites on Oahu as potential locations for Aloha Stadium’s replacement, including the existing Halawa site plus the University of Hawaii at Manoa, UH West Oahu, the Ala Wai Golf Course, Kapiolani Park and the airfield at Kalaeloa. The Halawa site came out on top based on such criteria as potential development costs, economic impact and the availability of infrastructure.

Stacey Jones, Principal & Senior Partner at Crawford Architects, said in a statement:

Hawaii has an incredible opportunity to create a world-class sports and entertainment venue especially given its unique and enviable location in the middle of the Pacific. In keeping with the state’s desire to be as thorough and thoughtful as possible, we started by analyzing many of the sites that have been previously proposed for a new stadium. In the end, our analysis affirmed what many had intuitively thought – that the existing Aloha Stadium site in Halawa is best suited for this purpose.

Redevelopment concepts in the analysis call for a mixed-use approach with residential, office, hotel, retail, parking and green space facilities organised around a new stadium. As benefits of the Halawa site, the 119-page report lists:

• Planned HART station is already under construction on the east side of the site.
• Existing stadium infrastructure in place.
• Ample site area for new stadium along with additional ancillary development.
• Close to the harbor and the airport for visitor access and event shipping / management.
• Close to Pearl Harbor.
• Access to the site from the rest of the island is very good, via highway.
• Tradition of site as the stadium venue for the last 45 years is already in place; public approval could potentially be easier than at other sites which might require changes to existing uses.
• Equidistant between Waikiki / Downtown and West Oahu.
• Since the site is mainly covered in car parking only, preparation of the site for development would not be difficult.

Negatives of the Halawa site were identified as:

• Existing stadium needs to be addressed; either removed or renovated in place.
• Concerns over the accommodation of the Swap Meet.
• Not close to any of the University Campuses.
• Not great pedestrian access.

Stadium officials said their next steps, over the coming weeks, will be to provide updates on the EIS process, “including stakeholder outreach and public meetings”.