A citizens group tasked with finding ways to make Oahu more accommodating for seniors and others will meet Thursday for the first time.

About 100 business and community leaders are part of the Age-Friendly City Citizens Advisory Committee. They will gather at Ala Moana Park’s McCoy Pavilion Thursday morning and split up into working groups to look into six areas where appropriate long-range planning can help seniors and others: outdoor space and buildings; transportation; housing; communication and social involvement; civic participation and employment; and community support and health services.

After what’s planned to be a yearlong series of discussions, the committee is expected to draft a plan of action to make the island more "friendly" to people of all ages, including seniors and youths.

That plan, when finalized, is supposed to be implemented by the city in three years, which would then allow Honolulu to be designated by the World Health Organization’s Global Network as an internationally recognized Age-Friendly City.

Statistics show Hawaii has one of the nation’s most rapidly aging populations. More than 140,000 people on Oahu are 65 or older, and 1 in 4 residents will be a senior by 2030, group officials estimate. Honolulu already has the highest percentage in the nation of people 85 and older, and that percentage is expected to grow.

The Age-Friendly Initiative is a partnership between the city, AARP Hawaii and the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.

The volunteer committee is led by retired Kamehameha Schools President and Headmaster Michael Chun, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii President Sherry Menor-McNamara and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii President Janet Liang.

"Business and community leaders are acknowledging the significant trend in an aging population," Chun said in a news release.