Two of the most transformative projects for Oahu are getting into gear — and if the high hopes become reality, they will converge into a new and vibrant live, work, play district on 227 acres in Halawa. When rail meets Honolulu’s new stadium in the next few years, they must start delivering on the long-held promise of transit- oriented development (TOD) that creates affordable housing and mixed-use walkable neighborhoods for Hawaii’s people.

To that end, the city is now in the process of rezoning 227 acres around Skyline’s Halawa station to allow for the build-up of residential and business sites. Sitting on nearly half of that footprint, crucially, is the proposed New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District: 98 precious acres of state land to be anchored by a new 30,000-seat stadium, flanked by new housing and commercial development.

All of this, of course, provides a rare opportunity for visionary masterplanning — for government to call the redevelopment shots that will truly benefit workforce residents, allowing current and future generations to afford to stay in Hawaii.

On Wednesday, the city Planning Commission was right to vote in favor of the 227-acre upzoning from single to mixed uses, recommending implementation of the Halawa TOD plan for diverse uses and building at higher heights and densities within half-mile of the rail station. With a central gateway connecting the station to the future stadium, the vision calls for development that is walkable and promotes community vibrancy, with areas featuring storefront windows and entrances near sidewalks.

The City Council will be scheduling meetings for further public input, and when it does, residents must engage and help shape these important Halawa TOD ground rules. It will be a tall order to stay true to the vision, for government to drive hard bargains that serve the public good, and to extract community benefits in exchange for the greater heights and densities.

In her July 10 report recommending the Halawa TOD rezoning, city Department of Planning and Permitting Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna noted: “The proposed zone changes are intended to direct growth along the rail transit corridor through infill development with higher densities that can take advantage of and support rail transit and other non-automobile modes. Mixed-use zoning will allow for more diverse land uses, including affordable housing, that make for livable communities where people can live, work and play within close proximity to transit stations.”

The TOD plan recommends higher heights closer to the rail station, then stepping down moving away. Station-area heights are recommended at up to 250 feet — but only if community benefits are provided, DPP correctly noted.

In a foreshadowing of pressures that will come to bear, and the vigilance that DPP will need to exercise as Halawa’s re-creation unfolds: The Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), tasked with helping to facilitate development of the new stadium, suggested that the proposed height on the stadium parcel be increased from 150 to 250 feet because future development there may be higher.

To its credit, DPP responded that an increased height limit on the stadium site would contradict the TOD plan. Further, it reasoned, even with a private partner on the stadium, the involvement of public-agency HCDA could allow the stadium to be considered a public use that would be exempt from that site’s height limit, if needed. So basically: Let’s wait and see; no premature giveaways.

Whatever projects are broached for the Halawa TOD district, government gatekeepers must ensure that truly affordable and workforce housing are included.

As Hakim Ouansafi, executive director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority noted in strong support of the TOD plan: HPHA intends to maximize redevelopment of its many existing housing projects near rail, including Puuwai Momi, “into a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income community near transit to help increase the affordable housing inventory and serve the state’s most vulnerable population.”

Among HPHA’s plans is expansion of its 260-unit Puuwai Momi complex in Aiea, built in 1969, with 1,550 more homes on the 12-acre site. Toward that goal, DPP adjusted the Halawa TOD plan to grant Puuwai Momi the same 250-foot bonus height as the adjacent station area parcel, allowing for more affordable housing within short walking distance of rail.

Such coordination, and alignment, of public-policy goals will need to stay strong as the Halawa district evolves over the next couple of decades.

Nearby community groups — most notably the two neighborhood boards of Aiea and Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village-Airport — have yet to officially weigh in on the looming, substantial changes. What they, and all residents, must keep in mind: Transformation is imminent, and there’s much potential. But it will be up to working families to insist on the best ways forward to revitalize Oahu’s heart of Halawa, so that it benefits and beats for all of us, not just development interests.