Downtown Honolulu’s already-clogged streets are bracing for more upheaval, as the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation on Friday signed off on moves to take slices of two marquee properties to keep its rail build on track in the city center. The board approved resolutions affecting parts of the Pacific Guardian Center and land tied to a former Servco site, clearing a path for guideway and station work that will tighten the squeeze on tenants, drivers and pedestrians in the financial district.
What HART Is Seeking
HART’s latest filings spell out specific “takes” at 733 and 735 Bishop Street, which make up the Pacific Guardian Center, along with a longtime Servco-associated parcel at 616 Keawe Street. According to Star-Advertiser legal notices, the Bishop Street action seeks a fee simple interest, a permanent sidewalk easement and temporary construction easements tied to the future Downtown station.
On the Kakaako side, the Keawe Street parcel is currently home to a busy Servco service center. Company executives have warned that losing that site would mean uprooting the operation and putting dozens of jobs at risk, testimony highlighted by Kaumakani.
Why HART Says It’s Needed
HART officials say the moves are about clearing physical obstacles and lining up staging areas so contractors can push ahead on guideway and station construction through the city center. As reported by KITV, agency leaders have cast eminent domain as a last resort after extended negotiations with owners. They argue that locking in easements now is key to keeping the downtown timeline intact as the project enters a more intensive construction phase.
What It Means For Downtown
City Center rail work has already meant narrowed lanes, detours and drawn-out utility relocations that complicate access to banks, courthouses and office towers. Previous coverage chronicled the slow roll of this effort and the decade-long lane closures linked to guideway construction through downtown and Iwilei. With new permanent and temporary easements for columns, platforms and contractor laydown areas now in play, those disruptions are expected to ratchet up.
Legal Steps And Timetable
Under the City Charter, HART must transmit a written list of targeted parcels to the Honolulu City Council. The council then has 45 days to object or the agency is cleared to move forward with condemnation authorization. Honolulu City Council records spell out that 45-day review window and how authorizing resolutions are sent back to HART and the Department of the Corporation Counsel.
HART’s public notices also outline what has to happen before land is taken, including that purchase offers must be based on independent appraisals and that relocation assistance must be provided to eligible owners and tenants, as detailed in Star-Advertiser legal notices.
What Comes Next
The council’s 45-day clock is now ticking. If members do not act within that window, HART can authorize Corporation Counsel to file condemnation cases in court, where compensation would be hammered out if owners choose to fight the takings. Servco and other affected owners have urged more talks and alternatives to permanent seizure, according to testimony summarized in local reporting.
HART maintains it will keep pursuing negotiated settlements where possible, but with these filings in hand, contractors can begin firming up plans for downtown work that could ramp up later this year, bringing the long-debated rail line even deeper into Honolulu’s core.
