A proposed Haleiwa housing and commercial development continued to spark opposition over the potential loss of agricultural land, increased traffic congestion and the high cost of living even as a Honolulu City Council measure advanced Monday.
The Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee passed Bill 37, related to a rezoning effort by the developer of Haleiwa Backyards LLC.
The planned project is on a more than 7.5-acre vacant parcel between Kamehameha Highway and Joseph P. Leong Highway, near Achiu Lane and Cane Haul and Emerson roads.
The development calls for up to 156 low-rise, two-bedroom rental units with an accompanying 30, 000 square feet of office and retail space, parking and a wastewater management system.
Basin Project Inc.—operated by D.G. “Andy ” Anderson—is the property owner.
The developer says the rental units could include eight affordable two-bedroom units targeted for those who earn 80 % of the area median income—for one person in 2025 that equates to earning $85, 150 annually, state data indicates. As proposed, about 140 units would be leased as market-rate rentals.
The eight, two-bedroom units proposed for lease at 80 % AMI would see a monthly rent of $2, 500. The remaining units would have monthly rents of $2, 800. Also, at least 31 units in the project would be deemed affordable rentals to 120 % AMI, the developer says.
In 2025, a single person at 120 % AMI earns $108, 600 annually, state data indicates.
With a mix of uses, the project would feature multifamily housing with a density of 20 units per acre and three stories not exceeding 40 feet in height, according to the developer’s consultant.
The project is deemed “gap housing ” or “workforce housing ”—usually considered affordable to middle-income earners—and “not solely as an affordable housing ” project, the developer’s consultant states.
But the Council’s vote on a committee draft of Bill 37 does not advance or approve the project itself.
Instead, it would allow for zoning changes for the proposed development site. The bulk of the project’s property —about 7.29 acres—is currently zoned agricultural.
Bill 37, if fully adopted, would amend the state Land Use District Boundary Map—for an area known as the Haleiwa Quadrangle—by reclassifying the 7.29 acres from its current state land use agricultural district to the state land use urban district, to allow for its development.
The measure states the project will “contribute to the general welfare and prosperity of Oahu residents by allowing for the development of much needed low-to moderate-income housing in the Haleiwa Special District, particularly for Oahu residents who work in the nearby retail and commercial areas of Haleiwa.”
Bill 37 further says the project will “help address the city’s housing crisis by allowing for the development of decent, reasonably -priced housing with access to schools, serv ices, amenities, and job opportunities.”
At the meeting, the developer’s consultant, Jim Hayes, with Planning Solutions Inc., spoke to the benefits of a project site that appears to be outside of mapped North Shore areas exposed to tsunamis not deemed “extreme, ” sea level rise or flooding events.
“It is one of the few infill area opportunities in Hale iwa town that is outside of all these hazard zones, ” Hayes said. “So we feel like it’s a good candidate for development, such as what’s being proposed.”
The site is also within the so-called Community Growth Boundary—an area that’s supposed to manage development while protecting agricultural, open space and other natural resources, he said.
Still, Haleiwa Backyards’ conceptual project plans will likely change, he added.
“This is just a concept at this time, ” Hayes said. “Should this move forward and the project continue, this will be refined based on input received from this committee, from the Planning Commission, from the public, from the Neighborhood Board, and other input that we receive.”
“And in compliance with applicable rules and the Land Use Ordinance, it would be designed with low-impact development measures, ample parking and … we’ll comply with all of the conditions in current Bill 37, including the submittal of an updated traffic plan which is currently being worked on, ” he added.
Hayes said he anticipated the project’s revised traffic plan would be submitted to the city “in a month or two from now, if not sooner.”
But North Shore residents—many appearing at the meeting wearing green and white T-shirts and caps imprinted with the words, “Keep the Country Country !”—opposed Bill 37.
Denise Antolini, a Pupukea resident, claimed that the North Shore Neighborhood Board, the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Sunset Beach Community Association, leading business owners in Haleiwa, and state Legislators, and Council member Matt Weyer, who represents North Shore communities, all opposed the measure.
Concerned about natural disasters like flooding and potential evacuations of the area, Haleiwa resident Barbara Luke-Boe expressed concern that the project’s density would “make evacuating Haleiwa horrendous.”
Karen Gallagher, a North Shore resident, said she thinks the project’s building heights will be too tall for the area. “From Oahu’s perspective three-stories is low-rise, but from Haleiwa’s perspective it would be the highest building in the whole area, ” she said.
Zaz Dahlin, a Haleiwa resident, testified, “If this conversion passes, it basically green lights a Waikiki 2.0 being constructed in our historic town.”
Dahlin also touted a new Change.org petition meant to stop the planned development. She claimed the petition—called Aole Backyards Haleiwa—was signed by more than 1, 000 people.
Conversely, the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters was in strong support of Bill 37.
“This project will directly benefit workers like me who often spend hours on the road due to the lack of affordable housing near the North Shore, ” Travis Murakami, a carpenter from Kahaluu, said. “Haleiwa Backyards is a realistic solution that honors existing planning policies while providing a place for our workforce to live.”
“This site is not active farmland, ” he added. “It’s near shops, highways and jobs.”
Carpenters Union member Fred Tamayo said, “Haleiwa is a place where many of us work but very few of us can afford to live.”
“The disconnect pushes workers farther away and strains our family, ” he added. “This bill helps correct that by reclassifying land that is already well-suited for housing. The land is within the Community Growth Boundary, not productive ag land, and (Bill 37 ) assures development responsibly.”
“It’s a practical, well-planned answer to a real housing problem, ” Tamayo said.
During Council discussions, Zoning Committee Chair Esther Kia ‘aina alluded to possible alternatives to the developer’s plan.
To that, Kia ‘aina asked North Shore Neighborhood Board Subdistrict 3 Vice Chair Racquel Achiu –
who also opposes Bill 37 – whether anyone in the community thought to purchase the site to “move forward with agriculture ” rather than housing development.
“Originally, no one was aware that the property was for sale when it was purchased, ” Achiu replied.
“It was part of Dole’s inventory.”
Kia ‘aina noted the city’s $70-million Clean Water and Natural Lands fund, which she claimed can be used to purchase agricultural properties. “The city, of course, could consider acquiring it, whether it be for a transportation mobility hub, for an affordable housing project or to create community gardens, ” she said.
Kia ‘aina also asked, “Is there anyone in the community considering potentially buying this parcel now ?”
Achiu replied, “I can’t speak for the group, but I have heard talk of people entertaining that notion.”
Later, Council Vice Chair Andria Tupola said it was “irritating ” to review a housing project—which she wanted to be affordable for local people—linked to a state Land Use District Boundary Map amendment.
“I am voting ‘yes’ on this (bill ), but with the understanding that we are not voting on this project, ” she added. “But by changing the boundary amendment … we could possibly open it up for ag use, for more Hawaiians … but I’m never going to be for 120 % (AMI ) or market-rate in that area ; we’re not going to be helping to keep local Haleiwa residents there if we do that.”
At the meeting, the city Department of Planning and Permitting expressed provisional support for the legislation.
Dina Wong, DPP’s chief planner, said her agency only processes state land use district boundary amendments that are 15 acres or less.
The next full Council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6.
