City officials are seeking input on a draft plan proposed for transit-oriented development in Halawa. The plan outlines a vision for potentially redeveloping about 150 acres around the Aloha Stadium rail station into mixed-use communities.
The city Department of Planning and Permitting is holding a public meeting at 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Aloha Stadium Hospitality Room. The forum is part of the department’s initiative in planning for transit-oriented development, or TOD, that is typically within a quarter-mile to half-mile of rail stations.
The goal of TOD is to create mixed-use developments, promote multimodal transportation, provide a range of housing options and direct Oahu’s population growth to the rail corridor, according to the department.
For the Halawa TOD plan, DPP officials have held meetings since March 2015 to identify redevelopment goals, issues and constraints in the area. The draft plan envisions redeveloping the stadium site, which is 100 acres, and other adjacent parcels, which make up about 50 acres, including the Puuwai Momi housing complex, Aiea Elementary School and the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Marketplace sites.
DPP officials will take comments until early January on the draft plan and then compile a final plan. The plan would then be sent to the Honolulu Planning Commission for review.
If the commission recommends approval, the proposal will be transferred to the City Council for a final vote. TOD neighborhood plans for Waipahu and Aiea-Pearl City were adopted by the Council in 2014.
Harrison Rue, the city’s TOD administrator, said redeveloping the Aloha Stadium site presents an opportunity to transform a “regional attraction.”
“This is very, very unique compared to some of the other neighborhoods,” Rue said. “People are doing mixed-use development, entertainment districts and residential nearer to stadiums now and turning them into neighborhoods. When people go to a game or concert, you can go early and eat lunch. You can stay late and not be stuck in traffic. It becomes more of a destination.”
Recommendations in the draft plan include new entertainment and retail uses, diverse housing options, a new employment center, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, including access to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, and new parks and trails, as well as a new, smaller stadium with 30,000 to 40,000 seats.
There is a potential to develop about 2,000 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, 400,000 square feet of office space and 350,000 square feet for retail and entertainment uses in the area, according to the plan. Infrastructure improvements including to storm and wastewater capacity, bicycle and pedestrian safety and roadway realignments are estimated to cost $700 million. Funding would likely come from public and private investments, according to the draft plan.
Rue said the city is working with the state on redevelopment efforts. Because the city does not own land on the site, the decision to redevelop the property would be left to the state and other landowners, he said.
Claire Tamamoto, president of the Aiea Community Association, said residents have raised concerns at previous meetings over how redevelopment would affect Kamehameha Highway and the noise levels in the area.
“They’re (city) talking about redeveloping the whole area, and residential is around it,” Tamamoto said. “They (community) want to make sure that whatever happens there doesn’t disrupt the community.”
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ON THE NET:
>> For more information on Halawa TOD and to view the draft plan, visit honolulu.gov/tod/neighborhood-tod-plans/dpp-tod-halawa.html.