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Friday, July 15, 2011

Aiea-Pearl City Town Hall Meeting on Kam Drive-In redevelopment and other issues

State lawmakers will hold a Town Hall Meeting to update the community on several issues and projects in Aiea and Pearl City, including an update on the redevelopment of Kam Drive-In into a residential-business area.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 21, 2011 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Pearl Ridge Elementary School Cafeteria. Light refreshments will be served.

Discussions will focus on the following topics:


Kam Drive-in Development: Representative Blake Oshiro will talk about the planning and permitting process, specifically with the City and County of Honolulu Planning and Permitting Department and the Honolulu City Council, and provide further updates on the proposed redevelopment by Robertson Properties Group of the old Kam Drive-In site, currently home of the Kam Swap Meet. This is an opportunity for the community to learn how they can get involved.

Robertson Properties Group (Los Angeles, CA) wants to change the property zoning from B-2 Community Business district to BMX-3 Community Business Mixed-Use. If this zoning change is approved, it will allow the property to have residential uses, additional building heights, and commercial uses. The proposed project may include 1500 residential units composed of three 35-story towers, 220,000 square feet of commercial retail space, and a possible 150-room suburban hotel.

Robertson Properties Group held a scoping meeting on May 16, 2011 at Pearl Ridge Elementary School regarding their proposed redevelopment. The company informed the community of its plans to create an Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice. The community was offered the opportunity to submit comments and questions for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and was informed that PBR Hawaii and Associates Inc. would accept comments and questions until June 6, 2011.


Kaimakani Street: Representative Blake Oshiro and the City and County of Honolulu will discuss the issue of Kaimakani Street, which has a section that requires much improvement because of hazardous conditions during heavy rainfall. The issue is whether jurisdiction and maintenance lies with the City or the State. A resolution passed this session requests DLNR to report findings and recommendations regarding ownership of the road to the Legislature before the start of the 2012 Legislative Session.

Aloha Stadium: Stadium Manager Scott Chan, DAGS Comptroller Bruce Coppa, and DAGS Planning Branch Manager Chris Kinimaka will give presentations on the status of repairs.

New Aiea Public Library: Glenn Miura, a representative from CDS International, the Honolulu-based architectural company working on the new Aiea Public Library, will present updates and answer questions on the progress of the project. The library will be built on the former sugar mill site just above the intersection of Aiea Heights Drive and Halewiliko Street.



The present schematic design captures Aiea's sugar mill heritage, is "open" and relies on natural light, and emphasizes energy conservation. Planned photo-voltaic panels on the roof would generate some of the building's electrical needs. The new library will meet at least the "Silver" designation of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) which is an internationally recognized green building certification system.

The current estimated timetable calls for the schematic design to be finalized in May, the preliminary design in August, the pre-final design in November, and the final design in January, 2012. The estimated construction schedule shows the contract bid in March 2012, contract award in June, begin work in August, and completion in November 2013. Allowing time to move from the existing library, the new library is estimated to open for public use in January 2014.

The meeting is sponsored by Senators David Ige, Donna Mercado Kim and Representatives Blake Oshiro, Roy Takumi, K. Mark Takai and Aaron Ling Johanson.

For more information, please call the office of Representative Blake K. Oshiro at 808-586-6340.

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