Food trucks, murals and art depicting the town’s sugar plantation heritage were among the recommendations for short-term projects in Waipahu to coincide with transit-oriented development. Other suggestions included adding more lighting and signs to direct residents and visitors to nearby attractions.

City officials are putting together a projects plan to boost business in Waipahu, and area residents offered feedback at a July 13 meeting. The plan seeks to enhance the area near the planned rail station at Farrington Highway and Mokuola Street over the next one to three years.

It’s a way for area residents to prep for rail’s arrival and for area businesses to recover from problems, said Harrison Rue, the city’s transit-oriented development administrator.

City officials plan to hold another meeting in September to present a draft plan to the community. Funding for the projects would come from an “informal” public-private partnership, he said.

“It’s not just getting to the stations … it’s helping the businesses get ready for more people walking,” Rue said. “This will have an immediate return for people commuting.”

The Waipahu neighborhood transit-oriented development, or TOD, plan was the first to be adopted by the City Council in 2014. It outlines key recommendations on how TOD and growth should proceed around Waipahu’s two planned rail stations, with an emphasis on preserving the character of the former sugar plantation town.

The Waipahu Transit Center rail station is near several historical attractions, including Hawaii’s Plantation Village, the Filipino Community Center and Leeward YMCA, where the sugar mill’s 175-foot smokestack remains standing.

Mark Garrity, deputy director of the city Transportation Services Department, said a $5.5 million project is planned to reconstruct Hikimoe Street, the road mauka of the planned rail station. The work would expand transit capacity and improve connectivity by upgrading bus shelters and adding lighting and more waiting areas for bus riders. He said work should start next year.

Problems facing Waipahu include flooding, homelessness, lack of shade and connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists, and buildings that do not face the streets, officials said. They said some of these issues could be addressed through the action plan.

At the July 13 meeting, officials and residents focused on three key areas near the Mokuola Street rail station: Hikimoe, Waipahu and Waipahu Depot streets. Residents broke out into groups of about 10 to draw on the maps and provide input to officials. Their recommendations included adding artwork to the back of a building on Hikimoe Street showing the plantation train and a history of the sugar industry, and placing cane plants along Waipahu Depot Street.

Deanna Espinas of Hawaii’s Plantation Village said she likes the idea of improving walkability and connectivity in Waipahu town. She said signs to direct people to the plantation village would “just put it in people’s minds that we exist. We just want the people of Waipahu to visit (and) also from the state.”

Richard Oshiro, a Waipahu Neighborhood Board member, said he wants to ensure that the historic character of Waipahu is preserved.

“I’m hopeful that we can see some of the ideas put into place,” he said.

For more information on the Waipahu neighborhood TOD plan, visit 808ne.ws/2ak3t85.