Question: I’m just wondering about those new "parklets" in Kakaako. It was said that these are for public use and they are located on city streets. How will these new parklets not become new homeless shelters? Are there laws stating who can use these and when they can be used?
Answer: Under the Street Usage Permit and Memorandum of Understanding issued by the city, the two "parklets" erected at 324 Coral St. by Kamehameha Schools are allowed to be open for public use from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Kamehameha Schools, a major landowner in Kakaako, is responsible for maintaining the parklets, including having a regular cleaning schedule and security patrols, said spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.
The two structures, each about 9 feet wide and 22 feet long, displaced only one metered parking stall. That’s because one of the parklets sits at the opening of an old driveway no longer in use, Paulsen explained.
Kamehameha Schools is required to pay the city $12 a day, excluding Sundays and holidays, for use of the displaced stall. Under the current permit, which is renewable, Kamehameha Schools is paying $377 (31 days, plus a $5 fee).
The parklets are meant to be part of a city demonstration project for Kakaako, where numerous new high-rise condominium buildings are planned, to develop it into a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in keeping with the city’s "Complete Streets" program.
(The Complete Streets program is part of a national movement to make roadways safer and more usable to everyone, not just motorists.)
Parklets are small nonpermanent parks placed on platforms over street parking and often outfitted with tables, seating and plants.
The Kakaako parklets may be used to showcase art or other temporary exhibits, but no commercial activities, ads or signs are permitted.
Parklets are popping up in many cities across the country as a way to extend city sidewalks, providing greenery and places to sit.
"We are discussing the possibility of three more parklets on Auahi Street, between Coral and Keawe, as part of a streetscape demonstration project that is consistent with the ‘Complete Street(s)’ program the city has adopted," Paulsen said.
The three additional parklets could be installed as early as next summer, coinciding with the opening of SALT at Our Kaka‘ako, the new restaurant and retail center Kamehameha Schools is building on the same block, he said.
"In addition to SALT’s new shops and eateries, that project will also feature a 260-stall parking structure that should help make up for the five on-street stalls occupied by the parklets," he said.
Mahalo
To a young man coming out of Foodland Kaneohe with three bunches of flowers recently. I saw him struggling to put those flowers in a vase. I asked him if they were for his girlfriend and said how sweet it was for him to get the flowers for her. He then handed me a bunch of the flowers and said, as he walked away, "Have a nice day." I was surprised by his generous and kind gesture. In turn, I yelled to him, "God bless you!" It certainly made my day. — Grateful Grandmother
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