StarBulletin.com

Board to weigh new Koko Crater homes


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POSTED: Monday, November 24, 2008

The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board will discuss tomorrow night whether to support a developer's request to allow more homes to be built along Kealahou Street near Koko Crater.

“;It is a relatively small piece of ground,”; said John Dodson, who lives across from the proposed development. “;Let's leave some of it green.”;

The public is invited to air its views and concerns on the proposal at the board meeting 7 p.m. at the Hahaione Elementary School cafeteria, 595 Pepeekeo St.

Koko Villas Phase II is being proposed to be built on the small parcel of land adjacent to the single-family houses of the first phase of Koko Villas, and right off Kealahou Street, which leads into Kalama Valley.

Some residents of Koko Villas received an e-mail with a description of the Koko Villas Phase II development plan, which proposes 11 homes on lots ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet and an attached drawing of the plan.

“;My reaction as a homeowner from Queen's Gate is, Can we not at least leave a little parcel of land in Hawaii undeveloped?”; said John Dodson. “;Developers, we don't have to develop on every piece of property we own.”;

Dodson thought the developer was going to turn the property into a park but has instead allowed the weeds to grow.

Concerns that it would be too close to the street were raised when developer Konakoh Corp. initially pitched the idea of a townhouse development to the board. Representatives of Konakoh could not be reached by the Star-Bulletin for comment.

The board will hear the presentation and vote tomorrow night on whether to approve a proposed zoning change for the parcel from preservation to residential.

“;This is beyond what was considered when doing the communities plan,”; said Elizabeth Reilly, a Hawaii Kai community leader who is also a board member.

Because the area is zoned for preservation, it was not considered in the projections for urban growth when preparing the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan, which is now being considered.

“;The timing is questionable,”; she said. “;The zone change conversation should be done within the context of the review process of the larger sustainable plan review.”;

Also on the agenda, the state Office of Planning's director will provide a brief overview of Ka Iwi Part I on whether there are pockets of areas along the Ka Iwi Coastline that are still zoned for urban use and not zoned conservation.