Ho‘opili Community Task Force Meetings and Accomplishments

The Ho‘opili Community Task Force met nearly once a month – and sometimes more often – for more than a year to help set its course for ‘Ewa and this new community.

A summary of their many meetings, along with what was discussed, includes:

October 13, 2005 — Discussed the need for creating more gathering places in ‘Ewa.

November 9, 2005 —Discussed creating a long-range plan for ‘Ewa. Topics included the need for infrastructure, schools, parks, community facilities and employment opportunities.

January 11, 2006 — Discussed managing future growth, and how Ho‘opili can help solve some of the regional problems that exist. The group was provided with an overview of all development and infrastructure plans for the area, including transit and other projects.

February 1, 2006 — Discussed education and how Ho‘opili could offer learning opportunities for residents of all ages. Guest speaker University of Hawai‘i at West O‘ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni briefed the group on the plans for the new UH West O‘ahu campus.

March 1, 2006 — The group participated in a “charrette,” or a planning workshop on the various types of parks they wanted to see within Ho‘opili. The group was divided into teams and each developed plans for the five different types of parks planned for Ho‘opili: canyon park, district park, neighborhood parks, linear parks, and the civic plaza.

March 29, 2006 — Continued discussion on parks and on gathering places.

April 17, 2006 — Discussed employment and jobs creation. Guest speakers included Dan Davidson of Aina Nui/Campbell Estate, economist Dr. Ann Bouslog, and Mike Fitzgerald, president of Enterprise Honolulu, all who provided information on job growth and future employment opportunities in Kapolei and ‘Ewa and emerging industries in the State.

May 15, 2006 — Continued discussion on managing future growth: Group discussed infrastructure, affordable housing and employment, and regional growth policies in the context of the ‘Ewa Development Plan.

June 5, 2006 — Continued discussion on gathering places and on creating needed community facilities. Guest speaker B.J. Dorman, Division Development Director of Salvation Army, Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division, gave an overview of the proposed Ray and Jean Kroc Center.

June 26, 2006 — Continued discussion on education. Guest speaker Everett Dowling gave a brief presentation on his experiences as a private residential developer who has built a public school as part of his projects and turned it over to the DOE. A description of how Island Pacific Academy was planned, developed and built in Kapolei was given by Stuart Hirstien, Chief Financial Officer of the school.

July 24, 2006 — Continued discussion on Ho‘opili’s conceptual plan: The group revisited the concept plan originally presented that now includes changes and additions based on the community input received to date.

August 14, 2006 — Discussed a variety of community issues: the group was presented with discussion boards on the various components of the conceptual plan, including parks, school sites, regional infrastructure, transportation, housing and employment, and commented on these topics.

October 13, 2006 — Continued discussion on community issues. The group was presented with a recap of the conceptual plan and provided with a draft copy for comments. This was followed by a presentation on regional transportation projects planned for the ‘Ewa area, and the status and timing of these projects.

March 2007 — The Task Force heard a presentation on the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project by Lawrence Spurgeon of Parsons Brinkerhoff.

April 2, 2007 — State Department of Transportation director, Brennon Morioka shared information on the state highway transportation projects in the ‘Ewa-Kapolei area.

May 7, 2007 — Doctoral candidates from the University of Hawaii School of Architecture presented their concepts for Ho‘opili. As a part of their final grade, they developed design models for Ho‘opili, utilizing TOD design and focusing around the future rail transit line that will go through ‘Ewa. The students’ design models of Ho‘opili addressed all aspects of living in a balanced community, including residential, retail, commercial, light-industrial and recreational uses.

June 25, 2007 — On behalf of the O‘ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO), Gordon Lum provided the Task Force details on transportation planning and federal funding, specifically in West O‘ahu. Becky Ward of Ward Research shared the results of the OMPO transportation survey.

July 16, 2007 — Mel Kaku, director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation, shared information on all planned and proposed roads in the ‘Ewa - Kapolei region. Mr. Kaku provided a historical perspective on the ‘Ewa Highway Impact Fees (02-52), as well as a look into the future on these road developments and improvements.

August 6, 2007 — Toru Hamayasu, Senior Planner at the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation, gave the Task Force an update on the commuter ferry "The Boat," as well as revised city bus routes to support The Boat.

The Task Force also agreed that it would represent the group at OMPO.

September 17, 2007 — The Task Force discussed and identified roads subject to 02-52 and other new roads that are being planned and constructed in the ‘Ewa-Kapolei region. As a result of this meeting, the Task Force agreed to submit to the City DTS their recommendation on roads that should be added to the 02-52.

October 2007 — To assist in the revision of the Ordinance 02-52, the Task Force recommended to the City that roadway improvements be considered for inclusion in the revised ‘Ewa Highways Impact Fee program.

July 15, 2008 — With the rail transit system alignment finalized, the Task Force discussed the possibility of participating in a process to develop a Neighborhood Plan and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan for the East Kapolei station proposed for Ho‘opili.

Other developers from the ‘Ewa - Kapolei region including Chancellor Gene Awakuni from University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu, Micah Kane from Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Major Phil Lum from the Salvation Army/Kroc Center also attended. They each provided an update on their respective projects.

November 12, 2008 — Planning consultant Tim Van Meter led the Task Force discussion on the planning process for two of the transit stations in East Kapolei: 1) The proposed UHWO Transit Station and 2) The Ho‘opili Transit Station.

May 26, 2009 — Continued discussion on the East Kapolei transit stations. The Task Force also discussed next steps in the TOD-Neighborhood planning process.