There's something to be said about learning from mistakes — and, judging by the recent announcement by the Aloha Tower Development Corp., it appears that's exactly what this state agency has done.

The agency is in charge of overseeing the development of Honolulu's waterfront at piers 5 and 6, and recently announced the formation of a 16-member advisory group.

The decision is a positive step, given the hard lesson learned by its sister agency, the Honolulu Community Development Authority. When HCDA sought to develop the Kaka'ako waterfront with private developers, public outcry over a lack of community input killed the deal.

"We didn't want to go down the same path," said Sandy Pfund, the executive director of ATDC. "It's state land, and we want it to be assured a lot of input."

What's evolved is an approach that should be considered a model for such ventures. ATDC's new advisory board is composed of local people with expertise in Hawaiian culture and customs, open space, regional planning, business and the neighborhood.

ATDC's project has been sensitive to public comment in the past. Community concern over the size of the waterfront buildings led to updated plans for modified roof heights to prevent any obstruction of views and to enhance trade-wind flow.

That, among other reasons, makes ATDC's development more likely not to suffer the same fate of the Kaka'ako project.

The ATDC project differs in that state land will be leased and not sold. The area diamondhead of Aloha Tower also seems more suited to Texas developer Ken Hughes' plans for a hotel, residential and commercial project. The protesters of the Kaka'ako developer were primarily surfers, fishermen and recreational users who wanted to preserve the area's open space. ATDC is not likely to encounter strong opposition to develop what is now a parking lot, but that's where the advisory board comes in.

If there is opposition, the public will have a venue to be heard, as it should have whenever state lands are involved.