Page 2 - MidWeek - July 7, 2021

2 MIDWEEK JULY 7, 2021
IWhat’s In Store?
woman at the side of the road, looking distressed. Near her lays a silver-haired man, legs sprawled out. I pull over and park the car.
n late May, the Associated Press reported that California’s legislature was looking to allow developers to build hous- ing units on commercial sites without necessarily changing
“Your husband?” I ask, pointing to him. “Tell me your name.”
She beams and reaches out, “Lady, I can hug you? I like how you be.”
zoning laws. As many retailers see potentially perilous times ahead (and as Amazon gets ready to put its first warehouse on a 14-acre lot in Sand Island), the time has come to think out of the box — as in the retail store and office building box.
She says, “Hiroko.”
“You call 911?” I ask.
She says, “No, I nevah.” “I’ll call. You wait with
The author learned that a lot of good can happen when people individually choose to make a difference in the life of another person.
We embrace. She grins all the way to join the crew around her husband.
Ala Moana Center has already shown that (pricey) housing and shopping centers can coexist. So, as more big-box retailers cut their footage in Hawai‘i, is it time to consider reasonably priced apartment buildings on-site? While “affordable hous- ing” is a relative term, with parking and existing structures already in place in many neighborhood malls, maybe high- priced infrastructure and material cost reductions would allow for units to be a reality for the “average” household in Hawai‘i, perhaps costing under $500,000?
him.”
As I fetch my phone, I see
no like da weeds so, he gotta pull ‘em. How many times I tell him no bodda. He get ‘hahd head!”
So funny, you!”
There’s a small crowd gath-
After four decades as an educator and human service specialist in Hawai‘i, Shair Nielsen retired from Kame- hameha Schools, where she served as an instruction- al resource specialist for 16 years. Now, she spends time with grandchildren, takes long walks, paints, draws, philosophizes, pho- tographs critters and writes everyday life stories for an emerging publication called LifeScape.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
We can’t keep asking rhetorically and waxing poetic about emigration, brain drain, lack of higher paying jobs, homeless- ness and the growing at-risk population here. Aloha United Way’s ALICE household acronym stands for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed. It’s estimated that fully half of our local population is now in the ALICE category of families barely getting by month to month. That number stood at a stag- gering 595,000 local residents pre-pandemic in January 2020. These are neighbors, relatives and friends who are working hard and getting by, but without much in the way of savings, retirement funds, or good options if a car or refrigerator breaks down — or if paychecks become unavailable due to economic cutbacks.
She takes two steps, puts her hands on her hips and laughs.
Turning to her I ask, “Ev- erything OK over there, Hi- roko?”
Let’s go big or, as they say, let’s just go home. How best to now utilize struggling structures and retail sites? Let’s con- solidate underutilized government and office buildings. Let’s retrofit vacated buildings into affordable rentals or apartments. A possible legislative roadblock (in California) is that retail sales taxes provide cities/states with more money than would residential taxes on owned units. OK, figure that into the mix, but it’s a given that emptier office buildings and shrinking retail malls will require new thinking.
KELLEY
Roadside Service (Pre-COVID)
A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia.
DNo task is too big when done together by all.
riving along Ke‘eaumoku, I notice a tiny silver-haired
a tall middle-aged man who is also there. He says “Ma‘am, we call already. They com- ing.”
I say, “So, Hiroko, tell me: When was the last time he did what you wanted him to do when he disagreed?”
ered around her husband, Hid- eyo. He’s sitting up.
Another Good Samaritan kneels and checks her hus- band’s pulse. He says to me, “Got him, ma‘am, mahalo for stopping.”
AsIheadtomycar,Ihear, “Wait! Lady, wait!”
Turning to Hiroko, I see she’s anxious. I say, “I’ll wait
“Funny, you. I like how you help me be calm down. I tell him no do ‘em, but, he do ‘em, he fall down. Bye n bye, you come. Now they help too.” She points to neighbors, Sa- maritans and EMS crew that just arrived. “Thank you, lady.
“Course,” she says. “I saw you leaving. I had to come say thanks, lady. You funny lady! You make my day! Mahalo!”
with you till the ambulance comes.”
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
“And you made my day, Hiroko. We understand those hard-headed fellows don’t we?”
Eyebrows furled, she spouts: “Not even our ‘pro-
putty’ ,
he go weed ‘em. He
“All is well,” I tell myself.
CHASING THE LIGHT
with Shair Nielsen
Health clinics, homeless shelters, public/transitional hous- ing, community centers, retail fulfillment locations, schools, job training sites, child care, remote offices, off-price retailers, and resident-owned units — the “what if” list must be explored as we consider how best to utilize limited, existing, quality locations in neighborhoods and perhaps near-rapid transit. What’s in store? Maybe your next apartment.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com