Ag land targeted for
Kapolei project
Aina Nui Corp., one of Campbell Estate's property development arms, has petitioned the state Land Use Commission to convert agricultural lands into an urban district to support further development of the "second city" of Kapolei.
Approximately 174 acres of agricultural land must be rezoned before Aina Nui can revive a long-delayed residential golf course neighborhood that would ultimately add about 2,400 homes to West Oahu. Tentative plans for the project, which would span about 535 acres between Kapolei and Ko Olina Resort & Marina, also include an 18-hole golf course, parks and retail and office buildings.
Aina Nui has submitted its urbanization plans and is conducting an environmental impact statement as part of the application process, said Donna Goth, president of Aina Nui. Once the land is urbanized, the developer will seek city and county zoning changes for the former sugar land, she said.
Goth said a decision is expected from Land Use Commission by mid-2005. Other project lands were urbanized in 1988 in preparation for the development, which has taken more than a decade to get off the ground, she said.
"It's very good news that this project is moving forward," Goth said.
"There has been a tremendous amount of activity occurring in Kapolei region and this is great way to connect ongoing projects within the city of Kapolei and Ko Olina."
The estate also is trying to sell 1,800 acres of largely agricultural land north of Kahuku so it can funnel funds into the development, Goth said.
Before submitting its plan to the state commission, Aina Nui officials met with nearby Kapolei residents to discuss expansion plans, Goth said. The company also has met with the neighborhood board and the Honokai Hale/Nanakai Gardens Community Association, and is meeting with the homeowners association at Ko Olina.
The project, which is expected to take the next 14 years to complete, would add teeth to Kapolei's bid to become its own commercial and residential center on Oahu. It also adds concerns about Kapolei's ability to support the extra traffic, infrastructure and service needs of its growing residential base, which is expected within the next five years to increase from about 21,000 homes to about 32,000, said Maeda Timson, chairwoman of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board.
If new developments come into the area, some residents of West Oahu have questioned where the children of these homeowners will go to school, Timson said.
In the past, rapid growth had prompted some West Oahu residents to propose moratoriums on development and to oppose projects such as the University of Hawaii's planned expansion into Kapolei, Timson said.
Watching Kapolei grow is bittersweet for Timson, who moved to the area before 1977, when the city adopted a master plan that called for the development of 32,000 acres of mostly sugar land.
"We used to love to watch the sugarcane burn on Farrington Highway for entertainment," Timson said. "The sugarcane is gone and those lands have been empty for a long time. Development has changed West Oahu, but most of it has been good."
