Proposal on North Shore mall draws huge crowd

By Will Hoover
Advertiser North Shore Writer

HALE'IWA — If there were any doubts before last night's North Shore Neighborhood Board meeting that residents are concerned about the proposed Pupukea Village project, they were quickly dispelled by the size of the crowd alone.

"This is a very hot issue," board chairwoman Kathleen Pahinui said as she assessed the turnout. "Usually about 60 people show up."

More than three times that number squeezed into the Hale'iwa Beach Park Surf Center, and an equal number spilled out the doors and onto the lawn outside.

North Shore resident Dana Pang hardly knew where to begin when asked why she was skeptical of the proposal to build a 53-store mall directly across from Shark's Cove.

"There are a hundred reasons not to do this," she said. "We just built a bypass around town 10 years ago. The traffic here is already horrendous."

Honu Group, Inc. a Honolulu-based development company that has designed projects on the Mainland and Hawai'i, plans to build a $17 million complex of one- and two-story buildings on nearly 3 acres of land directly across from Shark's Cove. In addition to retail spaces, the project also calls for a 220-stall underground parking lot.

Company spokeswoman Mona Abadir said in a statement that Honu Group wants to "create an enjoyable community gathering place for residents ... that generates economic opportunities and serves entrepreneurs, provides first-time jobs for young people (and) provides needed services for the Sunset neighborhood."

Cora Sanchez, chairwoman of a committee called Friends of North Shore, outlined the community's concerns. She said Honu Group's plans "are not consistent with the character of ... the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan" which strives to serve "the daily retail and other business needs of the surrounding population."

She described the community as "low-density, low-rise, small-scale" and said it wouldn't be served by a high-density, high-end mall. Other concerns focused on increased traffic, the siphoning of business away from existing businesses, and overburdening local infrastructure.

Such a project would fundamentally alter the landscape of the community, said board member Blake McElheny. He said the community is not necessarily against the development, but because that area is part of the state's Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District, it's important that a full environmental impact study be done before development begins.

Although Honu Group is not required to do an environmental impact statement under existing law, it can and should be compelled to do so by the city, McElheny said.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8038.