Posted on: Sunday, July 22, 2001

'Ewa redevelopment plan moves forward

By James Gonser
Advertiser Leeward Bureau

'EWA — The city and a private nonprofit corporation are moving forward with plans to redevelop the Varona Village area in 'Ewa Villages despite the refusal of some residents to leave their homes.

A draft environmental assessment was released this month detailing the Friendship Community Services project on 14 acres at Pa'alua Street and Renton Road.

Friendship Bible Church, two blocks east of the project, formed a nonprofit and initiated the development, which will include a community center, park, job training facilities and senior citizen facilities.

An acre of land, upon which three vacant homes will be renovated, will be set aside for church use. A 200-student daycare facility and a playground also are planned.

The land is owned by the city, and will be acquired with a Community Development Block Grant, according to the assessment. Friendship Community Services Inc. was set up to allow the church to accept the federal block grant money.

Varona Village was built during the early part of the 20th century to house sugar plantation workers, but today most of the homes are vacant and falling apart. Junk cars, rubbish and dilapidated buildings litter the property. Of the original 38 homes on the 14 acres, only seven are occupied and tenants of five of those have agreed to move to other 'Ewa Villages homes before construction begins, said Vincent Shigekuni of project consultant PBR Hawai'i.

Residents of two of the homes don't want to move, and Shigekuni said they will be allowed to stay.

"The city is quite comfortable for the plan working even with the two families who want to remain," Shigekuni said. "If they want to stay, they can. Most of the planned buildings are smaller scale, more like homes than a big project."

Shigekuni said the project will be built in phases, but no timetable has been set, and he could not give an estimate of the construction costs. The plans were presented to residents last week, he said, but no other public meetings are planned.

A separate 13-acre Varona Village parcel with 33 occupied homes is not planned for development.

Comments on the project are being accepted until Aug. 7. Write to the City Department of Community Services, 715 S. King St., Suite 311, Honolulu, HI 96813.