City to hold Oahu residents have a chance to help shape the island's future at the second Regional Islandwide Vision Meeting at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
meeting to plot
future of Oahu
A second islandwide vision
gathering takes place tomorrowBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comThe free city-sponsored event begins at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow with University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle talking about "sustainability."
Later, attendees will break into seven regional teams to talk about projects such as greenbelts, highways and more.
Sustainability was touted as a guiding principle for Oahu's development at the first gathering of this type, held April 21.
The giant visioning meeting grew out of the 19 Vision Teams that have been recommending how the city spends $2 million year in their back yards.
When the groups' visions started to overlap, the idea of cooperating among seven island regions was born.
City Managing Director Ben Lee said these are some of the projects vision team participants have brought up:
>> The Ewa-Waianae region wants a Waianae bypass road and a way to make it safer for people to cross Farrington Highway to reach the shoreline.
>> The North Shore-Central region wants an off-road jogging and bike path linking the communities of Mokuleia, Waialua, Haleiwa, the Waimea Bay area and Kahuku.
>> The Windward region wants a Koolaupoko greenbelt with trails for hiking, biking and horse riding to run from Makapuu Point to Laie.
>> The Maunalua region (Hawaii Kai to Kahala) wants an improved ridge trail for hikers and to plant as many as 10,000 trees along wide streets like Lunalilo Home Road in Hawaii Kai and East and West Hind drives in Aina Haina.
>> The Downtown East region (Diamond Head to Nuuanu Stream) is concerned with traffic issues and possible solutions via bus rapid transit or electric trolley, establishing a greenbelt/hikeway from Manoa Falls to the Ala Wai Canal, landscaping and placing utilities underground.
>> The Downtown West region (from Nuuanu Stream to Salt Lake) is interested in improving the quality of Kapalama Canal and Nuuanu Stream, making the waterfront more accessible and recapturing the charm of Kalihi.
>> The Pearl City-Aiea region seeks a town center at the old Aiea sugar mill, a new Pearl Harbor historic trail and a greenbelt/hikeway from Pearl City through West Loch and Waipio to Waianae.
Lee said he also hopes to get more public input about what to do with city land at Kalaeloa (Barbers Point).