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Zoning committee advances contested Haleʻiwa boundary amendment after heated public opposition
Summary
The committee amended and advanced Bill 37 (CD1) to reclassify about 7.292 acres near Haleʻiwa from state agricultural to state urban to enable a proposed mixed-use infill project; residents and community groups strongly opposed the change at the hearing.
The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning on June 26 amended Bill 37 (hand-carried CD1) and reported it out for second reading and a public hearing. The bill would amend the State Land Use District Boundary Map (Haleʻiwa Quadrangle) to reclassify roughly 7.292 acres of a remnant parcel in Haleʻiwa from the State Agricultural District to the State Urban District.
The change is the first step that would allow the applicant, Haleiwa Backyards LLC (owned by Basic Project Inc.), to seek city zone changes and pursue a proposed mixed-use infill project with roughly 150–156 low-rise apartment units, approximately 30,000 square feet of commercial space, parking and an on-site wastewater management system.
Why it matters: The measure drew extensive public opposition at the committee meeting. Neighbors, neighborhood-board members and local nonprofits said the parcel can and should remain agricultural and that traffic, parking, water and cultural and environmental impacts have not been adequately addressed. The zoning committee advanced the CD1 but several members noted reservations and urged further community engagement in downstream zoning processes.
What the proponents told the committee
McKenna White, planner with Planning Solutions representing the applicant, said Bill 37 does not approve any development; it only changes state land-use classification so the city can process potential zone-change applications. She and the applicant argued the parcel is disconnected from agricultural irrigation and was used as a DOT staging area during construction of the Haleʻiwa bypass, and that the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan identifies the site inside the community growth boundary and as appropriate for infill development.
The applicant’s conceptual plan calls for multifamily housing at a density that the plan contemplates (roughly 20 units per acre) and neighborhood-scale commercial space near Opaiula Road. The applicant said it will comply with affordable-housing requirements during the subsequent zone-change and affordable-housing agreement process.
What opponents said
More than 300 written testimonies opposing the bill were noted during the hearing and multiple residents spoke in person. Natalie Mihana McKinney of Kokua Hawaii Foundation said land demonstrated as productive for agriculture should not be reclassified: "Kokua Learning Farm is proof that land deemed unfit for farming by developers is or land that feeds," she told the committee, urging members to visit the community farm.
Other longtime neighborhood speakers said the existing North Shore plan is overdue for revision, traffic counts and an updated sustainable communities plan should guide decisions, and that approving a boundary change now would set a precedent that erodes agricultural protections. Several speakers also questioned the developer's track record and urged the council to defer until the revised North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan is circulated.
Committee discussion and outcome
The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) and the committee noted that under existing statutes the county may consider state land-use boundary amendments for areas under 15 acres and that the site is not designated as important agricultural lands. DPP told the committee the proposal is consistent with the Oʻahu General Plan and the 2011 North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan, and said an updated plan draft is under internal review and will likely be transmitted for public comment in late 2025 or early 2026.
Committee Chair recommended the hand-carried CD1 version and advanced the bill for second reading and a public hearing; the motion passed in committee with members recording reservations and asking for more community engagement during the subsequent zone-change process. The planning commission and future council hearings will consider traffic, wastewater, affordable-housing agreements and design guidelines if the project proceeds.
Ending: Bill 37 moves to second reading and public hearing. The committee record shows substantial public opposition and multiple council members urged a careful, transparent zone-change process before any development approvals.
