Sharks Cove plan draws skepticism

A “rural community commercial center” doesn’t seem the sort of thing to inspire neighborhood resistance. But this is Oahu’s North Shore, where the “rural” part of that concept can easily succumb to urban pressures, especially around the visitor industry.

The proposal for the $18 million center, proposed for a 2.7-acre property across from Sharks Cove, thus merits careful scrutiny to determine whether that precarious balance can be maintained with such a project.

The public will get that chance to weigh in on the retail complex, which is seeking a key permit that requires a detailed environmental review under state law (see box).

There is some history with the community here, and that complicates things. Hanapohaku LLC is the developer of the project, which would replace unpermitted food-truck operations and construction on the site for which the developer has paid fines.

The center is proposed for three parcels adjoining the Foodland property in Pupukea, and must secure a special management area (SMA) permit. According to the draft environmental impact statement, the supermarket parcel is linked to the Hanapohaku project through a 1996 development agreement providing for cooperation among the property owners.

Hanapohaku is led by Andrew Yani, and there’s already been a dispute between the company and the community because a previous plan got around public review requirements and shoreline protection rules, including the illicit food trucks.

So the redesign was sure to have critics looking askance at three buildings with a total of 27,500 square feet of leasable space. It also would accommodate as many as eight food trucks.

The developers will need to mount a persuasive case to overcome a trust deficit with many in the community.

There are attractive elements to the plan, including the prospects for 45 full-time construction jobs in the short term and long-term employment comprising 86 full-time positions, according to the EIS.

What worries the community, rightly, is the potential disruption it could pose.

The developers insist that the new project would meet zoning rules by adding “neighborhood businesses” that primarily serve area residents.

Tenants could include a restaurant, pharmacy, medical clinic, bank, deli, copy shop, yoga studio, real estate office, child care center, art gallery, clothing store, surf shop and office space for a community organization, according to the draft EIS.

But community groups assert that the uses are likely to drift toward establishments that cater to, and would attract, a tourist clientele.

Visitors already would be drawn by North Shore beach attractions such as Sharks Cove and would inevitably drive the retail market. Hanapohaku has an SMA permit to allow existing commercial uses to continue for now.

A recent traffic impact assessment projects that the draw would comprise 1,322 more vehicles a day but concludes that this won’t seriously compound traffic woes.

Mitigating improvements would include a turning lane on crowded Kamehameha Highway and a shared driveway with Foodland. The question to be answered: Will this be enough?

In addition, some firm plans for tenants that suit the community’s retail and business needs will need to be made.

The North Shore could benefit from businesses, but only to a point — and Hanapohaku will have to prove it stays within limits that make sense.