The $650,000 canoe halau will be similar to facilities at Kailua, Maunalua Bay Beach Park and the Ala Wai Neighborhood Park, with racks to store canoes upside-down with their outrigger, or ama, removed.

The Ke'ehi halau will accommodate 27 six-person canoes 40 to 46 feet long, and 12 one-person canoes or kayaks in a secured building.

The city filed a draft environmental assessment for the project with the state this week, and public comment is being taken.

Ke'ehi Lagoon is one of O'ahu's primary locations for canoe races, home to three canoe clubs — Alapa Hoe, Kai Poha and Kalihi-Kai — and a practice site for several public high school teams.

Both the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association and Na Ohana O Na Hui Wa'i stage regattas there during the racing season. A half-mile competition course is laid out in waters in front of the park, which can accommodate 10 to 14 lanes about 80 feet wide.

"We are very happy," said Lei Endo of Kai Poha. "We have been waiting for years."

Endo said the halau would be used to store their best racing canoes, as many as possible in the off-season.

"The park has a lot of people, and some weekends kids jump up and down in our canoes and use them like seesaws," Endo said. "That is where it is going to come in handy."

Rae Loui, director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said the city plans canoe facilities to meet demand at Makaha, Nanakuli, Poka'i Bay, Waimanalo and Hale'iwa. Each is being designed to meet the needs of area paddlers, Loui said.

The Ke'ehi halau will be 50 feet square and about 25 feet tall. Exterior improvements include an uncovered lanai area for repairs and instruction, disabled-access walkways connecting to existing walkways, and a loading/unloading area for canoes.

The facility does not encroach on the 55-foot shoreline setback, and its sides will be kept open to maximize ventilation and facilitate the moving of canoes.

Construction will begin after all necessary permits and approvals have been received.