Council's Central O'ahu plan advances
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
A plan that will guide development in Central O'ahu for the next 25 years passed through the City Council Planning Committee yesterday, despite opposition from residents who say it does not adequately address school and traffic needs within the growing residential communities.
Advertiser library photo
The committee, however, did address a Board of Water Supply concern that a new landfill in the region could be built over the Pearl Harbor aquifer. Council members added an amendment requiring that any new landfill sites be approved by the Board of Water Supply and the state Department of Health.
Councilman Gary Okino said the new plan is different from the current plan, which allows developers to come in and request amendments to the plan whenever they want to build new projects.
Councilman Gary Okino, chairman of the Planning Committee, said the new Central O'ahu Sustainable Communities Plan is more focused and will contain growth within rigid boundaries.
"I think from an overall planning perspective, it does a lot of good things and is a big improvement over the current plan," Okino said.
He said the new plan, which will provide the guidelines for approving new development projects, is different from the current plan, which allows developers to come in and request amendments to the plan whenever they want to build new projects.
The new plan still provides the opportunity for amendments, but Okino said the council would try to limit the changes to once every five years, so hopefully the city can "contain development until we get to the point where it's bulging at the seams, so to speak."
Meanwhile, the Zoning Committee yesterday moved forward a bill that will expand Gentry Homes' Waiawa project by 203 acres, bringing it to a total of 1,077 acres with nearly 6,000 homes.
Although members of the neighborhood boards in the area had raised concerns about the project, they were not present to provide testimony, but will have the opportunity again at the full Council meeting Dec. 4.
The Zoning Committee also deferred two bills related to the Ko Olina resort, leaving the issue of public access to the next Council, whose members take office Jan. 2.
Councilman Duke Bainum had introduced a resolution asking the city Department of Planning and Permitting to investigate whether the resort had violated its special management area use permit by not recording easements for public access to the shoreline for more than 16 years, but could not get enough support from the committee to pass the resolution.
He also held a bill in committee that would have changed the zoning so that the resort could build a strip mall.
Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8070 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
