Kukui Grove Cinema turning into offices, apartments

LIHU‘E — Plans to renovate the old Kukui Grove Cinema into a mixed-use residential and commercial space were recently approved.

The application for a Class IV Zoning Permit was granted to the Mana‘o Capital Group, LLC, last month by the Planning Commission, with recommended approval from the Planning Department.

The 94,370-square-foot cinema consisted of four theaters and was initially built in 1985. The cinema closed in March 2020, due to the pandemic, without plans to reopen. The cinema is located at the intersection of Haleko Road and Pua Loke Street on Kukui Grove Steet.

MCG, which is owned by JZE Holdings, LLC, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, will redo the cinema into a two-story mixed-use building, utilizing the existing exterior walls and footprint. The building, assessed at $3.71 million, was purchased in October of last year for $2.150 million, according to the county’s real property tax database.

“As you know, this beloved entity has been around in the community since 1985 and it was expanded and renovated in 1994. It’s really been a functioning movie theater until the pandemic hit,” Janie Yoo, a 30% owner of JZE Holdings, said. “Overall, the building itself is in good condition but does need quite a bit of renovation due to deferred maintenance. Our thought was to really bring that historic building to good use ultimately converted it into office space and residential space.”

The existing three first-floor theaters will be converted into commercial space, with plans for two medical offices with examination rooms. Theater No. 2 will be retained as such, according to the application. The theater and auditorium space may be rented out for the community.

“We believe this project will definitely benefit the community in so many different ways, not just with high-quality medical office space and residential areas but also being part of a hub for culture and performing arts by leaving one of those movie theaters as an auditorium and performing arts center,” Yoo said.

The second floor will consist of six multi-bedroom residential units, ranging from studio to three bedrooms. Rooms range in size from 350-square feet to 1,900-square feet.

“Housing is a huge issue and we wanted to at least do our part in contributing to alleviate some of that while not expanding the footprint of the building itself,” Yoo said.

Above Theater No. 1, the plans are for a commercial leasable tenant space.

“It seems this utilization of this space may be very beneficial for the community,” Commissioner Glenda Nogami-Streufert said.

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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.