Revised land use plans for Koolau Loa, North Shore available for review

Announcement
Hawaii Independent Staff
Koolau Loa Sustainable Communities Plan

HONOLULU—Two important community land use plans for Oahu have undergone draft revisions and are now available for public review.

The revised Koolau Loa and North Shore Sustainable Communities plans are available for review.

The revised Koolau Loa plan is now in public review draft form here and calls for:

·      Preserving and enhancing natural, recreational, and cultural resources.

·      Maintaining an overall regional rural character with small towns and villages.

·      Promoting a safe and healthy environment.

·      Recognizing the ahupuaa concept as a holistic approach to land management.

The plan also recognizes the “Envision Laie” proposal by Brigham Young University (BYU) and Hawaii Reserves, Inc. This proposal extends the current “community growth boundary” by about 300 acres in Malaekahana, and reduces BYU-Hawaii’s currently approved expansion area in Laie by about 30 acres.  The Department of Planning and Permitting will hold a community meeting on the draft plan soon. After comments on this public draft are received and evaluated, the department will prepare a final version to be submitted to the Planning Commission and City Council.

The North Shore plan is now in final review form, viewable here, and calls for:

·      Maintaining a boundary that protects the region’s agriculture, open space, and natural resources.

·      Promoting diversified agriculture.

·      Enhancing educational and recreational resources.

·      Promoting Waialua and Haleiwa as rural towns.

·      Supporting a light industrial center in Waialua.

·      Directing a modest amount of new housing to Haleiwa and Waialua towns.

·      Providing appropriate infrastructure.

·      Preserving cultural resources.

·      Utilizing the ahupuaa concept and incorporating principles of sustainability into the land use management process.

The plan will be reviewed by the Planning Commission, which will make recommendations and forward them to the Honolulu City Council for further review and adoption.

For more information, contact Department of Planning and Permitting Director David Tanoue at (808) 768-8000.