Some homeowners fear loss of their property as city officials seek rights-of-way for a rail transit system.

“;We're sad,”; said Gloria Farinas, who has lived in the lower Waiawa area known as Banana Patch for more than a decade. “;We don't want to move from there.”;

A park-and-ride structure is slated to be built at the site, according to a draft environmental impact statement on the rail project released Sunday.

City officials have been talking to owners of homes and businesses whose property could be in the path of the rail line to discuss possible settlements and compensation options.

“;All the property owners have been notified,”; said city Transportation Director Wayne Yoshioka. “;That is just the start. We have a lot of discussions to go with those property owners to make sure that we can come to terms in terms of proposed acquisitions.”;

Many residents who live at Banana Patch grow fruits and vegetables on their land to sell at open markets to supplement their household income. Farinas and her husband, Emilio, cultivate bananas, mango, eggplant and other fruits and vegetables on their property, estimated to be about three-fourths of an acre.

The couple said they spent more than $100,000 on renovations to their home, a “;fixer-upper”; that they purchased fee simple for $210,000. The couple said they invested so much on the property because they had planned to spend the rest of their lives there.

“;All my children live over there,”; said Gloria Farinas.

Simeon Bala, whose family owns four acres of land in Banana Patch, said the possibility of displacement leaves him uneasy.

“;I no can sleep,”; said Bala, whose family has lived there since the 1970s.

A community meeting is slated to be held to discuss the issue.

But tenants like Maka Sula, who lives a few homes away from the Alpha Omega Christian Fellowship Church, are resigned to the project, saying the government will move forward with plans despite concerns from homeowners and businesses.

“;We have no say on this,”; said Sula, who has lived in a three-bedroom home in Banana Patch for five years. “;Nobody wants to lose their homes.”;

In Kalihi, some plantation homes built between the 1940s and 1960s along Dillingham Boulevard might also be affected by the rail line. Ann Hinch, whose family owns the Texeira House, a historic plantation-style home at 1927 Dillingham Blvd., said, “;I'm not giving up my property.”;

The report says the city needs to widen the roadway by 10 feet to accommodate the rail line.

Hinch's father, Antone Texeira, who worked for Honolulu Construction & Draying Co., now Ameron Hawaii, designed and built the home. His granddaughter Darlyn Hinch described the home as an heirloom that has sentimental value to her family.

“;We do love it,”; she said.

Project officials said they have been working hard to minimize the systems' impact on homeowners and businesses. Yoshioka said 160 properties have been identified for partial land acquisition and 35 properties for full acquisition along a route that runs along 1,200 parcels.

Kenneth Toru Hamayasu, chief of the city Rapid Transit Division, said engineers are still trying to save as many properties as possible, noting that three addresses were eliminated from the acquisition list last week after adjustments were made.

Officials emphasized that properties listed in the draft report are potentially at risk because they are within a half mile of the rail and that not all properties necessarily will be condemned.

For example, they said the building housing the Boulevard Saimin Restaurant would not be touched even though it would be close to the rail.

“;One of the advantages of this particular system - because it's elevated and because it's relatively slim in footprint - it's able to minimize the amount of properties we have to take,”; Yoshioka said.

A detailed list of all homes and businesses that would be affected by the rail is scheduled to be released later this month, officials said.