HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new plan could bring more safety, cleanliness and coordination to Downtown Honolulu.
A city councilmember is trying to create a Business Improvement District, similar to the one that was implemented in Waikiki.
Downtown Honolulu has seen its share of challenges in recent years, from safety concerns to a rise in homelessness.
“Under the Business Improvement District, the residents are not going to be charged, it’s just nonresidential properties, but they’re going to see the benefits in more cleanliness, more security and hopefully we can get all this together for them to start next year,” District 6 councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said.
The proposed BID would cover a large chunk of Downtown Honolulu, stretching from Nimitz Highway to South Beretania Street and Richards Street to Nuuanu Avenue.
“Public right of ways casts a huge impression on the state of a neighborhood and again, individual property owners don’t necessarily have an incentive to take care of the public spaces, the roads, the sidewalks,” said Downtown Honolulu BID volunteer Chris Fong. “So, the Business Improvement District makes it easy for landowners to chip in and everyone to cooperate and pay.”
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Fong said the district has been in discussion for years, and recent crime in the area has pushed the idea to the forefront.
“Back in 2022, there was actually a security officer in the Pioneer Plaza area that was murdered from a homeless that came and basically assaulted them. And, you know, the homeless crime and the houseless issue just continues to get worse in the area,” Fong said.
There are private security patrols in limited spots — Dos Santos-Tam said they are not enough and the BID won’t be a silver bullet.
“Right now, there’s security patrols on Fort Street Mall done by a private contractor. But if all they do is shoo people off of Fort Street Mall, onto Bishop Street or onto Bethel Street, that really doesn’t solve the problem,” he said. “It’s the cameras on top of that, it’s having more HPD presence. It’s supporting the businesses, making sure permits go through.”
“I think you have to set that foundation of a clean and safe environment, to get retailers back, to encourage people to come back to the office,” Fong said.
The BID could launch as early as 2026 if the proposal moves forward at the City Council, bringing ambassadors, security and cleaning crews right to Downtown Honolulu.