A bill to rezone 3 acres of property to allow for a proposed church meeting house and parking lot in Aiea is moving through the Honolulu City Council with little opposition.
The project by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints calls for a single-story structure with 19,500 square feet of floor space, with a tower and steeple about 70 feet high, and a 250-stall parking lot, according to the draft bill. The facility would primarily host functions on Sundays and on one or two weeknights starting at 6 p.m. and ending no later than 10 p.m.
The church owns 7 acres in the Newtown neighborhood, 4 acres of which were rezoned to residential from agricultural in 1986. That’s where three single-story buildings and two paved parking lots were built.
At the time, City Council members agreed to leave the remaining 3 acres zoned as agricultural, according to the draft bill.
Introduced by Council Chairman Ernie Martin, Bill 7 passed its second reading with a unanimous vote May 6 and was referred to the Zoning and Planning Committee.
The church, which operates dozens of facilities on Oahu, is unsure of the exact design and timing to develop the property, said Robert Mills, a planner with PBR Hawaii & Associates Inc., which is handling the project. The general plan would be to eventually build another facility and parking lot, but the church has no intention of building homes, he said.
"Those are general plans," Mills said. "At this time, we’re just going through the preliminary process."
Mills said the meeting house would be a good addition to the community, adding that the rezoning would allow the property to be consistent with the surrounding uses of the neighborhood, according to his written testimony.
Church officials said they have reached out to residents living near the proposed site adjacent to the Newtown Neighborhood Park along Kaahele Street. The proposal was presented in June 2013 to the Newtown Estates Community Association and the Aiea Neighborhood Board, where some concerns were raised about increased activity and the height of the steeple.
According to the neighborhood board’s meeting minutes, 38 nearby houses were visited, where "most (residents) were supportive and one of the residents was concerned."
Ron Mobley, a Newtown resident and second vice chairman of the Aiea Neighborhood Board, said he has not heard from residents about concerns with the project. But he said that he "would personally be concerned if we have additional traffic that is going right on to the (Kaahele) street."
Mills said any issues would be "continually evaluated," but emphasized that the project is still in the preliminary stages.
"The church’s intention is to be a good neighbor and to make sure whatever is developed … fits in well with the community," he said.