A developer has extended an "olive branch" to neighbors of a proposed residential building in Kakaako, but many of those neighbors still don’t want the project called 803 Waimanu next to them.
Developer Franco Mola of MJF Development Corp. revised his plan for the tower to comply with height and spacing rules.
Still, more than 50 residents of the nearby Imperial Plaza condominium submitted testimony to the Hawaii Community Development Authority opposing Mola’s plan for a seven-story tower with 153 residential units and 91 parking stalls.
The state agency held an initial public hearing on the project Wednesday, during which Mola said he hoped his revised plan would deal with issues Imperial Plaza residents had raised against a previous 803 Waimanu proposal.
"We’re here with an olive branch," he said. "We want to get along."
After a round of public testimony, it was clear that many Imperial Plaza residents don’t like the revised project.
"It’s impractical," said Pamela Wood, a resident who said 803 Waimanu is too dense for the central Kakaako area still largely made up of industrial businesses on streets lacking curbs and storm water drains.
Others complained about the effects of traffic and questioned whether adequate sewage pipes exist to serve the proposed building.
The city says adequate sewage system infrastructure exists, and HCDA Executive Director Anthony Ching said there is adequate overall infrastructure to support the building’s density.
Mola intends to develop moderately priced homes either for sale or rent. All the units, most of which are studios, should be priced for people earning no more than to 120 percent of Honolulu’s median income, which equates to about $82,320 for a single person or $94,080 for a couple, Mola said.
Mola initially proposed 803 Waimanu as a 27-story tower with 192 units — a plan that drew much opposition because the tower would have been taller and closer to Imperial Plaza than permitted by HCDA standards.
Mola sought exemptions from the height and spacing rules as a trade-off for making all the units affordable to moderate-income buyers under provisions of HCDA "workforce housing" rules.
HCDA rules allow such trade-offs to be considered for affordable-housing projects that don’t use government financing, but agency board members gave the initial plan a negative reception in July. So Mola reworked the project to conform with HCDA standards, including a 65-foot height limit for the area.
As a midrise, the building can be positioned up to the property line, which would abut Imperial Plaza because part of that building runs up to its property line. Mola stepped back 803 Waimanu so that residential units are farther away, but that didn’t appease some Imperial Plaza unit owners.
"It is too close for comfort," said Clara Morikawa, who said she would no longer be able to leave her lanai door open because of safety concerns because 803 Waimanu’s recreation deck would be virtually touching her lanai. "Side by side with no space between is asking for trouble."
Fourteen people testified in person at Wednesday’s hearing, and all opposed or raised concerns with 803 Waimanu. Most testifiers were either Imperial Plaza residents or live in other Kakaako condo towers where new towers are planned next to their buildings.
HCDA also received written testimony opposing 803 Waimanu from about 60 people, including 47 Imperial Plaza residents. There were only four written comments supporting the project.
The agency has scheduled two public comment sessions on 803 Waimanu for Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. and Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at its office conference room at 461 Cooke St.
A decision on the project is expected to be made at a Jan. 8 public hearing at noon, during which public testimony also will be accepted.
