Honolulu legislation seeks to create a downtown business improvement district
Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Catherine Cruz, Maddie Bender
Published August 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM HST
Downtown Honolulu used to be home to the Big Five when sugar was king. Remember Liberty House, Kress, and Woolworth's? All added to the bustle, and then came others — Walmart, Longs, and Ross. Now all those chains have closed up and moved away.
The pandemic changed the workplace, and downtown is on the cusp of more change: new investment by local developers and a push to rebrand downtown as DOHO to revitalize the financial district for those who live and work in this hub.
Honolulu Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents the area, stopped by The Conversation to discuss a proposal making its way through the City Council to create a downtown business improvement district and charge property owners a fee. The money would go toward making the area more inviting.