Health, Welfare, and Environment The area between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, known today as Kaka'ako Makai, sits within two historic sea fisheries, called Kukulua'eo and Ka'akaukukui, which historically consisted of reef and mud flats that were submerged at high tide. At the end of the 19th century, the government began filling the submerged land to create Kaka'ako Makai as we know it today. In the early 1900s, fill material consisted mostly of raw trash and ash from open-pit trash burning. After 1930, incinerator ash was the primary fill material. By the late 1960s, the incinerator ash and other fill materials had created over 60 acres of fast land in the former Kukulua'eo and Ka'akaukukui fisheries Since the 1960s, the state primarily used Kaka 'ako Makai for government baseyards, warehouses, and buildings, and leased some of the waterfront parcels for industrial fishing operations like fueling stations, boatyards, ice houses, and fish auctions. "Makai" in the Hawaiian language means "toward the sea;" Kaka 'ako Makai refers to the portion of Kaka 'ako seaward of Ala Moana Blvd. Kaka'ako Makai is part of the larger approximately 600-acre Kaka'ako area that historically included small tenements of primarily Native Hawaiian and immigrant laborers mauka (inland) of Ala Moana Blvd. Today, about 20 land parcels comprise Kaka'ako Makai's approximately 60 acres. It is the gateway to some of the best ocean recreation in urban Honolulu, including body boarding, surfing, and diving, and the remediated 30-acre Kaka'ako Waterfront Park attracts thousands of residents and tourists to the area each year for picnicking, parties, and playing in the sun. Despite these excellent outdoor recreational opportunities, the lots immediately adjacent to the Kaka'ako Waterfront Park and beach accesses- approximately 30 acres of Kaka'ako Makai- remain blighted with decaying buildings and empty lots, and many homeless have established tents along the roads and in the open lots. The target community, including Kaka'ako residents and the larger Honolulu community, includes a significant percentage of sensitive populations, including elderly over the age of 65 and children under the age of 17, who are especially susceptible to the effects of the known hazardous substances in the soil and groundwater in Kaka'ako Makai. Financial Need Particularly in the last five years, Honolulu County, including Kaka'ako Makai, has been heavily hit by the economic downturn. With an economy that is heavily reliant on tourism, Hawai 'i has borne the brunt of the recession over the last few years. OHA has felt the negative impacts as well, with its trust fund losing over $5.8 million in fiscal year ended June 30, 2012. The presence of brownfields in Kaka'ako Makai contributes to the depressed economy by preventing development of safe recreational, shopping, and dining opportunities in a prime waterfront location between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki.
Former Use: The Property previously housed a refuse incinerator, a marine service station, which included a hydraulic hoist and USTs, and a ice house and fish auction. The USTs were removed in 1998. During excavation and removal, free product and petroleum-contaminated soil was observed. A Phase II Environmental Site Characterization and Field Investigation was performed in 1999. Additional investigations at the Property were performed in 2002, 2004 and 2007. Based on the findings, diesel fuel, PAHs, and metals contamination appeared to impact the vicinity of the former USTs.