Haleiwa to be rebuilt

» Kamehameha Schools' plan revamps the North Shore with retail and housing

» Farming development, housing and business are all included in Kamehameha's plans

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Kamehameha Schools has plans for up to 470 residential units and new commercial space for Oahu's rural North Shore.

The state's largest private landowner is ready to implement a master plan that will include redeveloping the landmark Matsumoto Shave Ice building and adding 50,000 to 100,000 square feet of new commercial space in historic Haleiwa town.

The plan to revitalize the rural community comes after two years of community meetings and is based on suggestions by residents in about 30 forums held by the $9 billion trust, which owns roughly 26,000 acres in the area.

The trust says its overarching goal is to keep the North Shore's rural character intact.

Still, the scale of the project makes some nervous. "I hope it doesn't end up becoming another Lahaina, which went from a quaint little town to nightmare density," said Haleiwa resident Jason Seymour, 45.

Betty Jenkins, 80, a 1945 Kamehameha graduate who has lived in the area for more than 50 years, was impressed by the trust's efforts to communicate with the North Shore community. "No other organization has ever done that," she said.

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Kamehameha Schools is planning to build up to 470 residential units in and around Haleiwa town as part of a larger master plan that will include redeveloping the landmark Matsumoto Shave Ice building on Oahu's North Shore.

After two years of community meetings, the state's largest private landowner is ready to implement a large-scale residential and commercial project that would include a plantation-style Town Center for new businesses and additional retail and office space at the Matsumoto site, totaling 50,000 to 100,000 square feet.

The plan is intended to revitalize the rural community, which has no sewage system or walkways and an inadequate two-lane highway. Total costs for the residential and commercial projects have not been determined.

"They're taking an area that's already built up on both sides and kind of filling it in instead of spreading out," said Boyd Ready, 56, a Haleiwa resident for 25 years. "It's a smart-growth in-fill-type development."

Until now the $9 billion trust had been a relatively passive landowner on the North Shore, where it owns roughly 26,000 acres, including 15,000 acres of conservation land, 9,000 acres of agricultural land and 2,200 acres of rural community land zoned for commercial, agricultural and residential use.

"We have an opportunity to do something very unique," said Giorgio Caldarone, Kamehameha regional asset manager.

Kamehameha is using only about 35 of its total 26,000 acres for the residential and commercial developments, which were based on community input from roughly 30 meetings, starting with the kupuna (elders), since 2006. The process also included youth forums, 3,000 mail surveys and a community planning Web site.

Because Kamehameha began with the cultural protocol of first speaking with kupuna and residents, many in the community have bought into the plan.

"Those who will not accept it are blind, because this is an answer to many of the issues that we need as a rural community," said Betty Jenkins, 80, a 1945 Kamehameha graduate who has lived on the North Shore for more than 50 years. "They have done an excellent job of communicating with the community. No other organization has ever done that."

The project's overarching goal is to keep intact the North Shore's rural character, while solving issues such as traffic congestion, affordable housing and environmental and economic sustainability.

Kamehameha trustees approved the master plan's concept in March.

"When they first came together, I was very critical of them and about what they were going to do, but they've come a long way in working with the people," said Pupukea resident Geraldine Meade, 71.

About 350 mostly affordable and gap-housing units, ranging from apartments to single-family homes, will be part of a Haleiwa Residential Village, while between 110 and 120 market-priced units will be built in outlying areas near Laniakea beach and Waimea Bay, one to three miles from Haleiwa town.

The residential projects are expected to be completed in five to 10 years, with the overall plan targeted within the next 15 to 20 years.

About 70 percent of the total residential development will be sold at or below Oahu's median home price at roughly $649,000. The projects are designed to align with the city's North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan created in 2000.

The commercial Town Center is to include new grocery and full-service drugstores, as well as a community gathering area for a farmers' market and ballpark adjacent to the Waialua Community Association. Kamehameha also has designated land for facilities for seniors and preschool children.

Some community members are concerned about the magnitude of the development, particularly the new residential units and traffic that comes with them.

"It's already a nightmare as far as the amount of traffic going in and out of Haleiwa," said Haleiwa resident Jason Seymour, 45. "I hope it doesn't end up becoming another Lahaina, which went from a quaint little town to nightmare density."

The Matsumoto redevelopment includes upgrades to the existing historic storefronts and 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of new retail and meeting space and rentals on the second floor. The landowner, which has met with all five tenants at the site, intends to keep the businesses open during the renovation, which will create an alleyway next to Matsumoto Shave Ice with sidewalks leading to a new rear parking lot.

An important part of the plan is to improve upon diversified agricultural operations and land that can be used for educational and cultural activities for the approximately 18,000 residents and 2.5 million annual visitors to the North Shore.

A 40-acre organic farm also is in the plan, to be established next to the residential community.

Kamehameha also plans to address residents' main concern of traffic congestion on Kamehameha Highway by implementing a trolley system in the middle of town that will run to the beaches.

The trust also is working with the state on left-turn lanes or right-hand pullouts, road realignment, pedestrian paths, and sidewalks for commercial projects, said R. Kalani Fronda, Kamehameha land asset manager.

North Shore redevelopment plan The following is a list of projects included in the plan to be implemented over the next five years: » Up to 470 residential units on three sites in and near Haleiwa. » A plantation-style Town Center for new businesses. » Matsumoto store site redevelopment, estimated to cost between $3 million and $6 million. (Starting in 2009 with estimated completion by 2011.) » Alternative Energy Developments, including 40- to 70-megawatt wind system, as well as solar and hydropower, feasibility tests estimated at more than $250,000. (Issued request for proposals for wind system on Tuesday.) » Improvements to Waialua's 100-year-old agricultural water system to provide a more reliable water supply for diversified agricultural crops, budgeted at $4.5 million. (Started six months ago.) » Securing long-term agricultural leases with existing and new tenants. » Loko Ea Fishpond Restoration of roughly five to seven acres, estimated to cost more than $300,000. » Creation of an Archaeology Field School in partnership with the University of Hawaii. Longer-term projects include restoring Ukoa Marsh for eventual educational use. » Creation of a Sustainability Institute to innovate, educate and research and demonstrate sustainability on Kamehameha-owned lands statewide.