Deputy city prosecutors normally charged with shutting down drug houses are concentrating on a stretch of Pauahi Street in Chinatown known for drug dealing, and are proposing a simple solution to get rid of the problem — remove eight metered parking spaces and put up "no stopping" signs.

The plan is designed to make it easier for police to spot illegal activity on the sidewalk across from Maunakea Marketplace and make drive-by drug deals a lot harder. The city prosecutor's office is trying to get community support for the proposal before taking it to the city Transportation Department for action, especially since it involves sacrificing precious on-street parking in a busy urban area for something that may not necessarily drive away crime altogether.

"It wouldn't be a magic bullet, but it would be another tool," said Cecelia Chang, deputy city prosecutor.

And Chang said if it works, it could be exported to other spots where drug dealing and prostitution are rampant.

The plan falls in line with a number of relatively inexpensive measures the city has taken to address crime in Chinatown. In May, the city removed three trellises over several tables on Kukui and River Streets, where many had long complained of flagrant daytime drug deals and gambling. Removing the trellises was meant to make it uncomfortable to sit in the area for long, and residents say the project appears to have worked.

City crews have also improved lighting on streets in Chinatown and repainted parking garages for safety.

Chang said she believes this is the first time the city prosecutor's office has suggested taking out parking spots to address a crime issue. It's also rare for the prosecutor's office to to try to stop an on-street drug dealing issue. Usually, Chang and others in the city prosecutor's Community Prosecution program concentrate on shutting down drug houses.

But Chang said they are focusing on the Pauahi Street area because of lots of complaints from residents and workers.

"We are looking at whether a parking regulation ... can be used in a crime prevention manner," she said.

Chang added, "It's a little out of the box."

Frank Lavoie, chairman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said he expects to see more simple, cheap and sometimes out-of-the-box strategies to crack down on longstanding crime problems, especially with the city addressing issues with dwindling resources. He commended the city prosecutor's office for targeting the Pauahi Street drug problem and said "anywhere there's drugs or prostitutes, this would be very effective" to drive them off.

But he added that removing parking spaces is sure to get some people and businesses angry.

"It's not necessarily a slam dunk," he said.

Several residents at Hale Pauahi, in front of the area where the city prosecutor's office say the drug dealing is occurring, were in favor of getting rid of the parking spaces and putting up "no stopping" signs. But others said they weren't certain it would work. None of the residents would give their names for fear of retribution.

There is an eatery and a small sundries shop in front of the area where the parking spaces would be removed.

But people also park in the spots to get to Maunakea Marketplace.

Across the street, there are at least five metered spots and an unloading area that would remain, Chang said.

In addition, there are on-street spots on Kukui Street and a municipal parking lot at Hale Pauahi.

Shervelle Gardner, director of operations at the River of Life Mission, next to Maunakea Marketplace, said drug dealing has been going on for years in the area the city prosecutor's office is targeting. She said the proposal to take out parking is a good start. "There may be an inconvenience for shoppers," Gardner said. "But anything is better than doing nothing. You can't eat an elephant in one bite, but you can take it in small pieces."

Police Maj. Clayton Saito, of the Chinatown station, said the Pauahi Street proposal would "help in the sense in that it would make it harder for these drug dealers to do a street buy." He also said it would be easier for police officers to approach cars stopped in front of the "no stopping" sign and issue citations or check for suspicious activity. As it is, he said, police officers often have no reason to approach a car legally parked in the area unless they spot suspicious activity.

It's unclear how long it will take for the plan to come to fruition.

Chang made a presentation to the Downtown Neighborhood Board on Thursday, and will likely make other presentations at community groups in the future. She said if residents don't sign on to the plan, it will be dropped.

But if the community backs it, Chang said she will go to city transportation officials with the proposal.

Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, said once the community has had a chance to weigh in, DTS will conduct its own investigation into whether it's appropriate to eliminate the parking spaces.