Kalaeloa plan envisions 6,500 homes, 7,000 jobs

The draft master plan includes Navy hopes for an aircraft carrier

Plans for a shuttered military base in West Oahu include modifications in case the Pentagon decides to home-port an aircraft carrier in Hawaii, according to a draft master plan released yesterday by a state development agency.

The plan for the 3,700-acre Kalaeloa could add more then 6,500 new homes, new schools and 7,000 new jobs over 20 years in a high-density live-work environment that utilizes mass transit.

The draft master plan contains details of the plans for the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station, which was closed in 1999. Since then, state efforts to redevelop the land have stalled, and the new master plan updates a previous development plan prepared in 1997.

The draft plan calls for more than $3.2 billion investment in the area bounded by residential parts of Kapolei to the north and east, and Campbell Industrial Park to the west.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 2 on the plan, which is available for review on the agency's Web site. The agency will try to integrate the public comments received by then into a final master plan for board approval.

"Kalaeloa presents a unique opportunity to respond to the needs of Leeward communities, including new jobs and new schools and the protection of beach access and open space," said Daniel Dinell, executive director of the state agency, created in 1976 to develop underutilized areas in the state.

Kalaeloa would be developed over 20 years in three overlapping phases starting in 2007, according to the draft master plan. The first phase would focus on improvements to the area's infrastructure. The second phase, from 2012 to 2020, would fill in mixed-use commercial and residential development, along with schools, parks and road improvements. The final phase would start in 2015 and continue the commercial and residential development, a large park and a Hawaiian Cultural Center.

The majority of the cost to develop the area will be covered by private investors, including residential and commercial developers, and the federal government.

Some $470 million in financing would be needed to cover improvements to such infrastructure and utilities as water, sewers, electricity and other infrastructure, the report said. Some of the cost of the infrastructure improvements could be financed through bond issuances, according to the draft plan.

The draft master plan acknowledges the Navy's renewed interest in its former base. The runways left by the base are now used as the Kalaeloa Airport, operated by the state for general aviation.

"The need for an airport to accommodate the carrier's air wing, as well as the associated needs for operational activities, administration and military housing, has increased the Navy's interest in Kalaeloa," the report says. "While such activities will likely impact the redevelopment of Kalaeloa, the Navy's reuse of Kalaeloa presents an opportunity for federal investment."

The master plan also includes plans for road improvements and realignments to help alleviate traffic in the Kapolei and Ewa areas, and for a mass-transit hub.