Workshops studying alternatives to sprawl

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

A weeklong series of workshops on smart growth in Hawai'i has moved to Kailua after a three-day run in Kapolei.

City officials say the workshops are a chance for Hawai'i planning professionals and others to meet national experts developing alternatives to urban sprawl.

"There's a new dialogue going on now in Hawai'i about growth versus no growth," said city planning director Eric Crispin. "This is a chance to discuss the third alternative, smart growth."

On Tuesday, planning and transportation experts as well as developers critiqued the ongoing evolution of Kapolei, suggesting it could be decades before the area becomes the true urban center its founders envisioned 15 years ago.

"We've got a great collection of buildings, but we haven't tied them together," said architect Francis Oda. "We're still searching for the center that will define Kapolei."

Participants discussed potential for a new "Main Street," pedestrian mall or plaza that could serve as the city's defining gathering place and creative ways to finance the next phase of the city's evolution and its links to surrounding areas.

Yesterday the discussion moved to Kailua, a more established community grappling with different kinds of growth issues, Crispin said.

A public forum on growth took place yesterday at Kainalu Elementary School. Today and tomorrow group members, including the visiting Mainland experts, will hold sessions to identify issues, needs, barriers and opportunities for Kailua's future in the Jack Wolfe Building at 146 Hekili St. Sessions are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.