City threatens to stop maintaining private road if landowner charges for parking

Kakaako businesses are stuck in the middle of an ongoing battle between the City and County of Honolulu and Kakaako Land Company over Ilaniwai Street.

Business owners there tell KHON2 they received a letter from the city saying it will no longer maintain the road because of signs that were recently put up.

They say reserved parking, private parking and parking for rent. The city set a deadline of Oct. 1 to take the signs down.

• Click here to read the letter in its entirety.

The city has been maintaining Ilaniwai Street even though it’s privately owned, and reasoned if the owner is going to charge for parking, the city will no longer pay to maintain it.

The road would become the landowner’s responsibility.

“I just seen these signs put in tires and cement, saying these vehicles would be towed unless you call this phone number and you want to rent it,” said PurAir Hawaii owner Patrick Senckowski.

Senckowski felt compelled to rent seven stalls for his business, which costs $110 each on a monthly basis.

“I had no choice. It’s either my employees vehicles will be towed or my work vehicles towed,” he said.

Once the city caught wind of these restricted signs, it notified businesses and Kakaako Land Company that it would no longer maintain the road unless the signs were taken down.

In a statement, Department of Facility Maintenance director said: “The City became aware of the restrictive parking signs that does not allow the City to continue maintenance of the private road.”

Senckowski says the road is owned by Calvert and Cedric Chun of Kakaako Land Company. Calls to the company were not returned.

“If the family keeps saying they own the road, then they should maintain it,” said Honolulu City Councilmember Ann Kobayashi, who represents the area. “All this time, they’ve been collecting rent to maintain the roads. Those same people paying the rent are paying property tax and paying to maintain the road. There is something wrong.”

Kobayashi says the council’s looking into solutions. “If I were them, I’d band together and say this is not right, we aren’t paying anymore, and see what the other side does,” she said.