The latest draft development plan for the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station, now known as Kalaeloa, contains some intriguing features.

But unless this effort does a better job of creating a truly self-contained community than has been the case in other developments in the area, it won't work.

Kalaeloa is one of many former military installations across the country that have been returned, in whole or in part, for civilian use. Many of these conversions have turned into success stories as vibrant new communities with work and residential options emerged.

So far, Kalaeloa is on the right track. Consultants unveiled a plan before the Hawai'i Community Development Authority — in charge of Kalaeloa — that envisions a build-out of some 6,500 homes, a business district generating some 7,000 jobs, a mass-transit depot, schools and other amenities.

Previous plans paid scant attention to housing as an option for the area, adjacent to Kapolei. But clearly, a red-hot housing market has changed thinking. Indeed, planners say the money generated by residential housing is critical to help pay for the other needed improvements.

But the "moneymaker" — market housing — must not be allowed to proceed apace without equal attention to the other parts of the puzzle, including basic infrastructure such as roads and highways in and out of the region.

Kapolei also was sold as a largely self-contained community, where residents would live, work and play. That promise has been slow in coming.

While there has been some growth in job opportunities and commercial activities in Kapolei in recent years, the bulk of residents there continue to commute out of the area for work.

This has resulted in major traffic headaches and lengthy commutes.

The Development Authority, working with major players including the military, the department of Hawaiian Homes and the City and County of Honolulu, has an opportunity to do this one right.

One key issue is the possibility of a carrier group being stationed in Hawai'i. If that happens, the military's need for an airfield at Kalaeloa becomes a dominant element in any future planning.

It makes little sense to make final decisions about the area until the matter of basing the carrier is settled.

The future prospect of Kalaeloa is bright. But not as yet another one-dimensional bedroom community.