The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning on July 28 amended and reported out for adoption a Special Management Area (SMA) major permit for a proposed two-dwelling project at 144 Kaapuni Drive in Kailua.

The resolution, identified as Resolution 25-184, was amended to a CD1 version that adds conditions requiring the applicant to use a reduced zoning-lot size of 42,289 square feet (reflecting 2,067 square feet lost to erosion) when calculating allowable building area, floor area and impervious surface for future building-permit applications. The committee chair said the CD1 will “facilitate the project's building permit process.”

The applicant, represented by architect Peter Vincent of Peter Vincent Architects, described the plan as two single-family dwellings (a main two-story unit and a guest unit), a central courtyard with a swimming pool and a three-car garage, with the main dwelling located about 69 feet from the shoreline, exceeding the 60-foot shoreline setback. Vincent said all required parking and landscaping are included in the design.

The CD1 adds a condition requiring the applicant to obtain a minor shoreline structure permit before issuing any building permit for proposed open-work fencing within the 60-foot shoreline setback. It also requires the applicant to base development calculations on a reduced lot size of 42,289 square feet to reflect the 2,067 square feet identified as lost to erosion and now in the State Land Use Conservation District.

An archaeological inventory survey by ASM Affiliates uncovered two Native Hawaiian subsurface occupation sites after 12 test trenches were excavated. The CD1 includes multiple archaeological protections: the applicant must submit the State Historic Preservation Division's written acceptance of the inventory survey and mitigation protocols before construction permits are issued; prepare and submit an archaeological monitoring plan and obtain SHPD acceptance; implement all approved mitigation protocols; and hold a coordination meeting between archaeological consultants and construction contractors before construction begins.

The CD1 also requires a protocol for structural fill to minimize spread of invasive organisms; the project proposes importing 295 cubic yards of structural fill and excavating approximately 44 cubic yards for the pool and foundations. Director Dawn Takuchi of the Department of Planning and Permitting indicated the department supports the proposed CD1 and is available for questions.

Public testimony raised cultural concerns. Tara Rojas, a remote testifier, urged greater protection for iwi kūpuna and questioned development in areas likely to contain ancestral sites. The committee noted ongoing oversight by SHPD and the Oahu Historic Preservation Commission and stressed that mitigation and monitoring conditions are included in the CD1.

The committee chair moved to amend the resolution to CD1, heard no objections, and the member-led recommendation to report Resolution 25-184 CD1 out for adoption was approved without recorded objection.