Dog owner Michael McKenna-Widener stood on the sidewalk and peered into the empty lot from behind a chain-link gate secured by a rusted chain, along with her two dogs, sniffing its border.
McKenna-Widener and others have been wondering what happened to plans to transform about 7 acres of vacant land along Hamakua Drive in Kailua into a community park, including an off-leash dog park for their pets.
State and city officials in October 2018 announced it would be “state of the art,” and boasted of bringing the first dog park to Windward Oahu, along with a playground, exercise equipment, and climbing walls with $3.8 million in the budget to get it done.
>> PHOTOS: Kailua residents, canines await dog park
It would involve two land transfers — from private landowner Alexander & Baldwin to the state — and then from the state to the city to manage as a public park. It was anticipated to open a year-and-a-half to two years after the announcement.
As of this week, however, nothing has visibly happened yet. It has been 14 months, and the lot sits empty, overgrown with weeds.
A&B confirmed the land transfer to the state has not been finalized yet.
“At this time, we are still working with the state on finalizing the land transfer for the park,” said A&B spokeswoman Lynn Kenton in a statement. “We understand how much local pet owners are looking forward to this park and appreciate their patience while we collaborate with the state on wrapping up the details.”
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources needs to do due diligence before accepting the parcel, according to Curt Cottrell, state parks administrator. But the state was only recently able to access about $500,000 out of the $3.8 million to get started.
“It’s going to take a long time,” he confirmed.
The first step would be to hire a consultant to evaluate the property to make sure it has no hazardous waste. Then a survey needs to be done to make sure there are no encroachments from residential properties bordering the parcel.
If there are, A&B would be responsible for resolving them.
If the lot gets the all-clear, Cottrell said, there would also be an environmental assessment and other permitting processes. The land transfer would also need to be approved by the Land Board, which involves a public hearing.
What’s being proposed is more than just fences and a drinking fountain, he said. Plans also include restrooms, parking and equipment.
The funds can be reauthorized, he said, so as not to lapse in June.
State Rep. Chris Lee (D, Kailua-Lanikai-Waimanalo) affirmed that the development of the park was still happening.
“It’s a complicated land transfer and all the different pieces of the puzzle need to fall into place,” said Lee. “We’re working with the city and A&B to get that process on to the next step.”
When A&B acquired a portfolio of real estate assets from Kaneohe Ranch Co. in 2013, the parcel was included. Given that it is slated as preservation land, it agreed to donate it to the state. In the past, Lee said developers have eyed the vacant parcel, just outside of Kailua’s commercial district, for a hotel, restaurant and tennis compound.
“It’s just a matter of going through a careful, due diligence process to make sure it’s done right,” said Lee. “Part of it also, is, at the time, we didn’t know what the assessments would uncover, because the land hadn’t been touched in so long.”
At least one community group, however, is against the development of the park.
The Hamakua Group opposes the park at the proposed site because the Hamakua makai wetland, it said, was historically part of the Kawainui-Hamakua-Kaelepulu Wetlands, and in the face of climate change, more acres should be preserved due to their vital role in nature.
Additionally, The Hamakua Group said spending millions on a recreational dog park there would be a “clear encroachment” of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty seeking to preserve and manage wetlands. Instead, the parcel could become a bird sanctuary.
“Our existing urban wetlands and forests are termed natural solutions,” said Hamakua Group founder Bob Gratz in an email. “They’re already busy serving and stabilizing our climate challenged environment. We don’t have to buy them or build them, all we need do is not destroy them.”
Dog owners, meanwhile, are dismayed at the snail-like pace of the project, which may open too late for some of their pets’ lifetimes.
McKenna-Widener, a dog walker who lived in Kailua more than 25 years, but now lives in Hawaii Kai, has been waiting years for a dog park in the beach town.
“What I’m worried about is it’s not going to happen,” said McKenna-Widener, “Let’s do this. It’s important … I think it’s time to put back a little more to what the community needs.”
It would be beneficial for dogs as well as their humans, she said. Dogs that do not have a place to go and get their energy out are not as well-behaved, and it has always been challenging finding places where they can run free in Kailua.
Lori Davidson of Kailua, a member of the Windward Dog Park Hui, fields questions every week about when the park is opening.
She simply wants a place where her four dogs, all rescues, can run freely, and safely.
“Here we are going into the second year, and you don’t even have the land surveyed,” said Davidson. “Hurry up and get on this. This is a large community that wants a dog park.”
With few places where dogs can legally go, many Kailua residents either drive to the dog park in Hawaii Kai or farther, or improvise, gathering in the evenings at local school grounds and parks where canines are forbidden. Many visit the beach, where dogs are not allowed off-leash.
“I just find it so frustrating that here’s a demand, a need and the willingness,” said Donna Festa of Kailua. “I’m sure if what it takes is for people to roll up their sleeves, and donate their time, it would happen. In this community, there are so many dogs.”
Festa’s two pups are 6 months old, and she does not currently have yard space available for them.
In the meantime, efforts are underway to open an off-leash dog park in Kaneohe, which may have a better chance of opening before the one in Kailua.
Windward Oahu legislators held a special dog park town hall meeting in January to discuss two potential sites — by Bay View golf course and at Kaneohe District Park — where much of the infrastructure is already in place.
Sandy Coons of Kailua has three dogs, and has been waiting since one, Lani, got her first set of shots as a pup. Lani is now 8 years old.
“It’s supposedly going to happen,” she said, “but who knows? I’m not holding my breath.”
