Mililani Mauka zoning bill moves to full council
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
A plan to rezone more than 100 acres of agricultural land for a third phase of residential development in Mililani Mauka passed second reading yesterday by the City Council's Zoning Committee.
The rezoning request by developer Castle & Cooke Homes Hawai'i to convert 104 acres to residential and low-density apartment use would add 800 housing units to the subdivision. The projected number of overall housing units in Mililani Mauka would be 5,729 under the new proposal.
The Council's Zoning Committee passed Bill 27 on second reading by a 5-0 vote. The measure now faces a second reading and public hearing by the full council on April 24 at Honolulu Hale.
The third phase of housing in Mililani Mauka was actually part of phase one of the Mililani Mauka development and had been initially considered as a possible site for the future University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu campus. UH officials have since told Castle & Cooke that the site would be too small for a new campus.
Instead, under the proposal, 298 single-family and 502 multi-family units would occupy the property that is bordered by H-2 Freeway, Waikakalaua Gulch and Ko'olani Drive. The developer also reserved six acres for use as a city neighborhood park.
Council Zoning chair Romy Cachola said he recommended approval of the project since home construction would not begin until 2004 or 2005; the second area elementary school is tentatively set to open in late 2003. "That should be enough time to get the new school going," Cachola said.
City Councilman Duke Bainum had concerns about traffic congestion along the freeways. "Every time a new home pops up, you're adding one or two more cars on the roads," Bainum said. "And I hope we're looking at these concerns."
Bainum is not a member of the City Council Zoning Committee, and did not vote in support of rezoning for the housing project
The city Department of Planning and Permitting and city Planning Commission have supported the rezoning. The Mililani Mauka Neighborhood Board has also supported the rezoning, while the Mililani Neighborhood Board has expressed concerns over added traffic and potential school overcrowding.
The U.S. Army testified last year that it was worried that the zoning change would bring new homes closer to the East Range area, where soldiers train at night. "It is not the Army's intention to stifle development plans," Col. William Puttmann Jr. of U.S. Army, Hawai'i wrote last June. "We must point out our concern to ensure that any potential homeowners in the area be made aware of the negative noise factors ... generated by military air and ground operations being so close."
Correction: City Councilman Duke Bainum is not a member of the City Council Zoning Committee, and did not vote in support of rezoning for a Mililani Mauka housing project Tuesday.A previous version of this story was incorrect.
