Other then a few hours around lunch time during the workweek, Plotnick said shopping and eating has shifted from downtown. And upscale prices won't sell, he said. The lack of parking is the single greatest hindrance, Plotnick said. Initial plans called for a 350-stall underground parking garage, but those have been scrapped. Developers have said they planned to lease 300 parking spaces from nearby Harbor Square.
Experts also say the post office is too far away to attract enough tourists.
Developers initially said Bishop Museum would open a history display in the center. But the museum this week said that other than preliminary discussions when the development was first announced, there is no agreement to open there. Puamana Crabbe, a designer of Hawaiian quilts and fashions, had also considered moving there, but now has decided against it for personal reasons as well as the slow economy. Wall Street Cafe developers and Wyland couldn't be reached for comment, and Stars Restaurant did not return a call. The Wall Street Cafe had originally planned to open at the site of the McDonald's Restaurant near Queen and Richards streets when state investigators stopped it from soliciting investors.