The city has revised its improvement plans for Ala Moana Regional Park to address issues brought up at a community meeting in January, and is now accepting public comments on it for the next month and a half.

In the most recent version of the Ala Moana Regional Park and Magic Island Improvements Draft Environment Impact Statement, published Sunday, most of the makai parallel parking stalls along Ala Moana Park Drive would remain instead of being removed to make way for a “promenade.” The removal of the parking stalls resulted in a public outcry at the January meeting, attended by hundreds.

Approximately 20 stalls, however, would be removed in front of a new “keyhole parking lot” near McCoy Pavilion to widen the walkway, which will have drop-off zones and crosswalks on both sides.

The city also plans to reorient a majority of the mauka parallel parking stalls along the park road to perpendicular parking, a move that it says will add 94 stalls to that area, in addition to reconfigurations at the Magic Island lot. Altogether, the changes are expected to result in a net gain of more than 200 parking stalls at Ala Moana Beach Park.

“We are grateful for the passion the public has shown for Ala Moana Regional Park, which has resulted in a better master plan,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a news release. “Ala Moana is ‘The People’s Park,’ and the proposed improvements will ensure that it continues to thrive for generations to come. I hope more park users take the time to comment on the Draft EIS during the next 45 days.”

While pleased that parallel parking stalls would remain, members of Malama Moana, a community group, said they were still concerned with the plan.

“Basically, our position is, the makai parking the way it is really works,” said Bruce Lum of Aiea, a member of the group. “It’s very convenient. It’s park and play, and that’s what people really like.”

He said taking those parking spaces away and widening the “promenade” would disrupt that.

“We don’t care about a beautiful view plane, because we think it’s fine,” he said. “We don’t think the promenade is broken or needs to be fixed or improved. We just think its needs TLC. It’s been neglected a long time.”

Lum’s wife, Sharlene Chun-Lum, said the conversion of parallel stalls to perpendicular ones is a bad idea.

“They would have to remove grass and trees that are on the mauka side to make the roadway big enough,” she said. “That’s a dangerous situation backing out.”

Instead of a “promenade,” the draft outlines plans for a “makai shared-use path” that would add more planters and trees to increase shade, install more benches and offer improved lighting and more space for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

In addition, the grassy area would be restricted due to new rules relating to water quality. According to one summary in the draft, park users who have been erecting tents and barbecue grills along the grassy area on the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive impede beachgoers from getting to the sandy beach, plus they block views.

But Lum said the grassy area is ideal for multigenerational, local families to gather and that the tents and grills are actually only there on special occasions and not every day, as characterized.

Audrey Lee of Malama Moana said the draft sidesteps the issue of the promenade by calling it a “shared-use path,” for which the City Council had voted to restrict funding due to public concerns. If this “shared-use path” is used by bikes and Segways going in both directions, it would not be safe for pedestrians, she said.

“This whole idea is based on creating a Waikiki-like feel, which is not what residents want,” she wrote in an email.

Other improvements highlighted in the 904-page draft include beach sand replenishment, renovations to the edges of the drainage canals and two park ponds, repairs to the canal bridge and park entrance portals, improved pedestrian access near Piikoi and Queen streets, and the addition of a dog park and playground.

The dog park would be on the Ewa side of Ala Moana Park next to Kewalo Basin, with two separate play areas for big and small dogs. The playground would be between the Diamond Head concession building and the Hawaiian Pond.

There also would be renovations to McCoy Pavilion, plus the lawn bowling and canoe halau areas.

Four exceptional banyan trees at Banyan Court would have to be removed because their roots are damaging the courtyard foundation and auditorium, creating hazardous walking conditions for users.

Public input on the revised plan is welcome until Aug. 22. Belt Collins Hawaii LLC is the consultant for the project. The presentation from the January meeting and a copy of the draft EIS are available in the “Ala Moana Regional Park” section at parks.honolulu.gov.

Publication of the final EIS will be determined by the extent of the comments received for the draft statement, and is expected by early 2019.