Kailua board now backs business-district rezoning plan

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KAILUA — The Kailua Neighborhood Board has reversed itself for a second time and now supports a bid by some of the town's largest landowners to rezone more than seven acres in the business district.

In August a newly elected board rescinded approval of the rezoning application granted in May by the former board.

But that apparently was more a way to buy time than try to derail the proposed rezoning.

"It's not that the committee is against the rezoning," said Jim Corcoran, vice chairman of the Planning, Zoning, CIP and Environment Committee. "We'd like to know more about what Kane'ohe Ranch's big picture is so then we can make informed choices."

Kane'ohe Ranch Co. Ltd. manages Kailua properties for the Castle family, which, along with several other landowners wants to rezone land on the mauka side of Hekili Street and properties on Hamakua Drive between Hekili and Hahani Street.

Last week, reassured that merchants in the area in question had been informed of the proposal and satisfied with what else had been learned, the full board voted 10-2-4 to support the rezoning.

"My main concern was that the clientele of Kane'ohe Ranch was notified that this would happen," said board member Claudine Tomasa.

Mitch D'Olier, president and CEO of Kane'ohe Ranch, has said the rezoning would bring the land into compliance with the Sustainable Communities Plan, reduce the area of industrial zoning and the number of nonconforming uses and give the company more flexibility when leasing.

D'Olier said there was a lot of support for Kane'ohe Ranch at the meeting and that real planning will take place after the City Council's final decision on the zoning proposal. The rezoning application has approval from the Department of Planning and Permitting and the Planning Commission.

"It's been a good process that's involved a lot of people in the community," he said. "We at Kane'ohe Ranch are especially grateful to people who took time out of their busy lives to testify at the meeting and feel pretty uplifted and feel a heavy responsibility to do the right thing for the community as a result of all the community support."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.