Kamehameha Schools has completed a master plan for 26,000 acres of its land on O'ahu's North Shore that would significantly expand the commercial core of Hale'iwa Town with businesses and residences, while also increasing farming and preserving cultural sites.

The roughly 15-year plan proposes developing 470 homes primarily in Hale'iwa Town, fixing a decaying agricultural water system, leasing more land to farmers, exploring wind farm or other alternative energy projects, and establishing educational opportunities that include fishpond restoration and an archeological field school.

The initiative by the state's largest private landowner is an attempt to better use large tracts of land it got back from a prior lessee, Dole Food Co., after Dole's Waialua Sugar Co. shut down in 1996.

After Kamehameha Schools in 2000 revised its strategic plan for managing what is today a $9 billion trust, much of its North Shore land — a mix of conservation, agricultural and rural residential property — was viewed as ripe for preservation and development in line with land stewardship and financial goals.

"It was a low-hanging fruit," said Giorgio Caldarone, a Kamehameha Schools asset manager. "This is an important area for us."

About two years ago, the trust began the first of about 30 meetings with area stakeholders — including community associations, government officials, farmers, educators, landowners, tenants, church leaders and business professionals — to help shape its plan. The trust also mailed a survey to 3,000 North Shore households.

"A lot of the good ideas came out from the community," Caldarone said.

Residents said they appreciate that the trust asked many of them for ideas and to comment on plans, as opposed to past endeavors in which the trust or other developers announced a plan and tried to force it on a community.

Still, there are community concerns about building homes and retail that would increase traffic congestion, though Kamehameha Schools said its plan doesn't threaten the North Shore's country lifestyle.

Warren Scoville, a long-time North Shore resident who's familiar with the Kamehameha Schools plan, said that, in his view, what the trust plans in Hale'iwa is "quite appropriate."

The trust is proposing to develop about 50 acres it owns on the southern edge of Hale'iwa Town, toward Weed Circle. The property, near the North Shore Marketplace and the Post Office, was once planted in sugarcane by Dole and is now primarily leased to farmers of seed corn and asparagus.

One major element in the Hale'iwa Town expansion plan is building about 360 residential units, including townhomes and single-family homes with plantation-style architecture, for fee-simple sale.

Kalani Fronda, a Kamehameha Schools asset manager, said a goal is to sell 70 percent of the homes at or below O'ahu's median sale price, which through March this year was $620,000 for single-family homes and $330,000 for condominiums.

Other elements in the Hale'iwa plan are a commercial complex with 50,000-100,000 square feet of retail and office space, a park, community garden and a park-like gathering place for events such as a farmers market.

Fronda said residents expressed an interest for a full-service drug store and another grocery store that could be part of the commercial project, which also would conform to Hale'iwa's distinct architecture.

Traffic is a top concern among North Shore residents, who for years have complained about a dangerous bottleneck at the narrow, two-lane section of Kamehameha Highway fronting Laniakea Beach, also called Turtle Beach, where tourists stop to glimpse turtles lounging on the sand.

One idea that's been discussed for more than two years and embraced by Kamehameha Schools is rerouting Kamehameha Highway inland onto trust land to keep gawkers in cars from slowing traffic and to cut down on pedestrians crossing the road if a parking lot is built makai of a new road.

Gil Riviere, traffic and transportation committee chairman of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, said the trust's support is commendable, though it will probably take at least seven years to complete an environmental study, plan and build the project.

Kamehameha Schools has floated its own traffic reduction idea: a trolley that would allow tourists to park their cars at a depot in Hale'iwa Town and ride to various North Shore beaches.

Riviere said he believes residents would welcome such a service to relieve tourist traffic and reduce demand for parking at beaches. "That would be a great idea," he said.

Fronda said that expanding Hale'iwa Town won't be a near-term project because zoning changes are needed, so a five to 10-year timetable is likely.

"The community won't see a very quick response as to implementation," he said.

More immediately, Kamehameha Schools plans to refurbish Hale'iwa's M. Matsumoto Store building by adding a small amount of additional retail, parking and sidewalks, and renovating historic storefronts that include Matsumoto Shave Ice.

Stan Matsumoto, president of M. Matsumoto, is supportive of Kamehameha Schools' plans to improve its property leased by his family business, but he also worries about how changes might alter the character of a business that's a North Shore landmark.

"In some ways, I kinda want to leave it as it is because it's unique," he said. "A lot of people like the old stores, the old mom-and-pop stores. They say, 'Don't change.' "

The bulk of Kamehameha Schools property in its North Shore plan covers six ahupua'a, or mountain-to-sea divisions, between Waimea Bay and Hale'iwa that contain mostly preservation and agriculture land.

On the conservation piece at higher elevations, the trust plans to enhance resource management. The lower piece is largely agricultural land on which the trust envisions a mix of farming, alternative energy development and education.

Kamehameha Schools has some tenants on its North Shore farmland, including growers of tuberose, plumeria, papaya and seed corn. Under its land-use improvement plan, the trust wants to increase water delivery to support more farming, including a 40-acre organic farm and possibly biofuel crop production.

A century-old water delivery system once operated by Waialua Sugar needs major repairs because the ditches lose about half their water before reaching low-land farms. Kamehameha Schools has begun work on a $4.5 million system repair project that it said will irrigate the entire lower half of its agricultural lands.

The trust is also exploring opportunities for alternative energy production on its ag land, and earlier this week issued a request for proposals to develop a 40-megawatt to 70-megawatt windfarm at higher elevations.

Because there are many historic cultural sites on Kamehameha Schools land, the trust is pursuing a partnership with the University of Hawai'i to establish an archaeology field school for students to learn about and help restore sites.

Near the ocean, Kamehameha Schools owns two large parcels of residential-zoned property in Papa'iloa and Kapaeloa on which it plans to develop single-family homes, as well as the Loko Ea fishpond it intends to restore.

In Papa'iloa, an existing residential subdivision, the trust owns 14 acres and plans to develop 40 to 45 homes on 10,000-square-foot lots similar to adjacent homes.

In Kapaeloa, Kamehameha Schools owns 32 acres in the residential area that would accommodate about 70 homes on 5,000-square-foot to 6,000-square-foot lots similar to adjacent homes.

Scoville, who lives in Papa'iloa, said his neighborhood is concerned about the plan.

"We're not against it," he said, "but less is better than more."

Another piece of coastal property in the Kamehameha Schools plan is Pua'ena Point, a former Army airfield that represents the largest piece of undeveloped shoreline between Mokule'ia and Sunset Beach. The 144-acre parcel between Hale'iwa Beach Park and the Papa'iloa subdivision was once proposed for an eco-tourism camp with 252 campsites and is now used to film the "Lost" television series.

"You won't see resorts, you won't see commercial uses, you won't see residential in that area," Fronda said.

The trust is considering a cultural center or other educational or environmental activities for the site.

Caldarone, of Kamehameha Schools, said moving the overall plan ahead will involve more detailed planning, continued community input and trustee approval of project components.

Full implementation could take until 2023.