Revised plan for Ewa Beach raises flags

Many of the Ewa Beach neighbors who attended a heated public hearing last week were up in arms about plans for the final, 62.3-acre phase in the Ocean Pointe-Hoakalei project. The developers, Haseko (Ewa) Inc., have put out assurances that counter the fears that have been raised, but it’s important that the residents are raising them anyway.

For one thing, they already have seen major changes made to the original plans for the project, a switch that was the trigger for an ongoing legal challenge that is set for trial July 13. Haseko has opted to orient its proposal for homes and a hotel around a landlocked lagoon, instead of the Ewa Marina that had been envisioned at the outset years ago.

It’s reasonable to ask pointed questions when the landscape already has been known to shift like that.

In addition, Hawaii has seen what can happen when the enclosed environment of a resort runs up against an established, local neighborhood: The residents can be made to feel unwelcome, even if legal access to old haunts is ensured.

In this case, the worry raised at the public hearing is about protecting the established public use of Oneula Beach Park and access to the undeveloped shoreline near that park, an area known as Hau Bush. Fishing and camping are popular activities that the community enjoys in these areas.

For its part, Haseko strongly maintains it will not block access to the public beach. Sharene Saito Tam, the company’s vice president, restated Haseko’s intent to be "a good neighbor in this community."

The rezoning application has received approval from the city Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) but ultimately will require careful review by the City Council. There is particular cause for concern because the resort part of the proposal includes a parcel near the shoreline.

By state law, the public has a right to access the shoreline, but the proximity of a resort can be imposing, even intimidating to visitors. For example, will there be guard shacks, walls, landscaping or other barriers?

West Oahu residents will remember that this also was an issue with the buildout of Ko Olina. The public had to push for adequate parking for visitors to use the Ko Olina resort lagoons.

So if the goal is to safeguard access, as it should be, the devil is in the details.

How will this project ultimately look?

Fortunately, initial steps have been taken to make the developer’s assurances enforceable.

In the department’s report, DPP Director George Atta puts as the first condition the requirement for a "public access and revised urban design plan."

Among its stipulations:

» The proposed swimming cove adjacent to the lagoon will be made available for use by the general public when completed.

» At least 150 parking stalls will be made available to the general public.

» Parking will be linked to the swimming areas with a publicly accessible pedestrian pathway system. Those pathways also will connect with the planned nature preserve on the west side of the project, shoreline areas around the lagoon, the natural shoreline and Oneula Beach Park.

These would be laudable provisions, and it’s encouraging also to see that DPP will get a chance to check on them. The public-access elements are required to be part of the urban design plan that Haseko must submit to DPP for review and approval, before the first building permit for visitor units is issued.

In addition, Haseko will need to secure a special management area use permit and shoreline setback variance.

The website promoting Hoakalei conveys a sense of exclusivity — Hoakalei, "a legendary spring on the Ewa Plain, is the inspiration for a world-class residential waterfront resort community," it says.

Under existing permits, Haseko is entitled to build 950 visitor accommodation units for hotel or condominium use, as well as 4,850 residential units. That part of the plan isn’t changing in the rezoning application.

However, the footprint of the planned resort would expand from the previously planned 38 acres to 46 acres. What was a single resort-zoned parcel mauka of the lagoon would be split into three, including an 8-acre piece bordering the shoreline.

Undoubtedly the developer’s hope is that guests will be able to enjoy the ocean vista from that point — but more details are needed to assess building heights, viewplanes and near-shore public access.

Hawaii has cherished its beaches, a love that has been enshrined in laws dating to the kingdom era that deem the shoreline a public asset.

Upholding that value has required constant vigilance, and Oahu’s elected officials must not lose sight of it here.