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Show TytWAi 2T The Sail Lake Tribune, Sunday, February 9, 19B6 Waikiki Beach Balancing between development and preservation by Stewart Taggart Associated Press Writer HONOLULU (AP) Early each evening, the setting Pacific sun casts an auburn hue over the hotels, beach and surf of Waikiki. Tourists cluster along seawalls and hotel patios, quietly snapping pictures. Traffic often slows along busy Kalakaua Avenue, drivers distracted by the nightly show of color to the West. The stunning Pacific sunset is one of the few things that havent e cluschanged in Waikiki, a ter of high-ris- e hotels and apartments that is home to 25,000 permanent residents and the playground of 80,000 tourists each week. "I dont think anybody 30 years ago could have sat down and envisioned it, planned it intelligently, says Honolulu Managing Director D.G. Anderson. "Waikiki kind of evolved. Waikiki now accounts for most of Hawaii's $4 billion tourist industry, by far the states biggest source of income. Most of Hawaiis visitors spend at least one night in Waikiki, often getting their first exposure to the Aloha State along its warm crescent of white sand and gentle waves. Its widely regarded as Hawaiis golden egg, but many now wonder about Waikikis future in competition with younger, fresher resorts. For centuries, Waikiki was a rural area of taro and fish ponds fed by water from the Koolau mountains. Island royalty lived there. As the urbanization of Honolulu accelerated in the late 1800s, Waikiki attracted famous visitors, men like writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. In 1906, Lucius Pinkham, president of the territory of Hawaiis board of health, saw Waikiki's potential as a tourist attraction, but not without some cleaning up. In a report entitled Reclamation of the Waikiki District, Pinkham described the often water-covere- d Waikiki flats as dangerous and unsanitary. But, he said, "the whole place can be transformed into a place of unique beauty. By 1920, Waikiki had been filled in and drained by the Ala Wai canal. In the ensuing years, two major Waikiki hotels, the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana, lured wealthy travelers and 613-acr- low-lyin- g, Hollywood stars, who arrived by steamship. During World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, Waikiki was a rest and relaxation spot for U.S. servicemen, particularly Fort DeRussy, a military post with a sandy beach just west of Waikiki. Development in Waikiki mushroomed after Hawaii became a state and commercial jet service from the U.S. mainland began in 1959. Among those who saw opportunity early on was Chinn Ho, the son of an immigrant Chinese rice planter. A e bank clerk and stockbroker, Ho invested in Waikiki. I predicted in 1955 that we would have a million tourists a year some- one-tim- Palm trees and tourists etch the evening sky in silhouette along Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. Development rocketed in Waikiki with the commercial jet service from the U.S. mainland in 1959 (AP Newsfeatures Photo). time in the 1960s, Ho says. It came in 1959. Ho built one of Waikikis most fam- ous hotels, the Ilikai, which opened in 1963. At the time, it was the highest building in Waikiki. The boom really began in the mid-60- s and ran through the mid-70says Michael Sklarz, director of a Honolulu real estate firm. It was part of a super hyper-growt- h period. Then we said: Hey, were going to pave the whole island, and we better put up some obstacles to slow down the development process. Among those obstacles were tougher zoningjaws and a cap on the number of rooms that may ultimately be built in Waikiki. Some feel development of Waikiki has gone too far, others not far enough. It has all he aesthetics of any American city: tall buildings and crowded streets, says Haunani Kay Trask, an assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii and an outspoken activist. "Anyone who comes here thinking they are going to find paradise is a s, fool. Trask and others have spoken out against tourisms detrimental effect on Hawaii and its native Hawaiian population, degrading Hawaiian culture and forcing native Hawaiians g into tourism jobs. Public ambivalence about further development has been illustrated by public debate over two proposed construction projects, the largest in Waikiki in recent years. The first would be a resort condominium near where Waikikis Ala Wai Canal enters the Pacific Ocean. Opponents said the project would block the airy trade winds and the view of the ocean enjoyed by other buildings. Opponents also say the development would strain sewage, water and transportation services in the area. Tourism is a fragile industry dependent on a careful balance between making a profit and protecting the beauty of Hawaii, said a statement issued by four state lawmakers and a city councilwoman opposed to the project. Also proposed is a large convention hall. Some have suggested placing it on a municipal golf course across the Ala Wai Canal from Waikiki. Another proposal is to put it at Fort DeRussy, if the state or city can acquire the land from the federal government. Opponents argue that Fort DeRussy is one of only two grassy areas left in Waikiki. Supporters say that without a convention center Waikiki would become resort. a second-clas- s twin-towe- r, 500-roo- m There is a tremendous amount of competition out there we didnt have 15 years ago, says Richard Kelley, president of Outrigger Hotels Hawaii, one of the states largest hotel chains. Weve got to get serious about where we are going. Earlier this year, the city completed a street widening project along Kuhio Avenue. 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