Honolulu zoning committee hears testimony on Bill 37 to reclassify 7.292 acres in Haleiwa

The Committee on Zoning of the City and County of Honolulu on June 17 heard presentations and more than an hour of public testimony on Bill 37 (2025), a proposal to amend the State Land Use District Boundary Map (Haleiwa quadrangle) to reclassify roughly 7.292 acres of a 7.525-acre parcel (TMK 6-2-005-002) from the State Agricultural District to the State Urban District.

Why it matters: The reclassification would be the first step that could allow a later city zone change and development application for a project proposing about 150–156 low-rise apartment dwelling units, roughly 30,000 square feet of commercial space, parking and an on-site wastewater system. Supporters say the project could add workforce housing close to existing services; opponents say it would erode agricultural land, worsen traffic in Haleiwa and strain local infrastructure.

Jim Hayes, agent for the applicant (Planning Solutions, Inc.), opened the committee briefing by stressing that "Bill 37 does not approve any development or use at the site. It is only a state district boundary amendment." Hayes said the parcel sits between Kamehameha Highway and the Joseph P. Pilong bypass, is outside coastal and flood hazard zones and is currently undeveloped. He and the applicant (Haleiwa Backyards LLC; owner Bassin Project, Inc.) presented a conceptual plan showing low-rise apartment buildings (no more than three stories and not to exceed 40 feet) and neighborhood-scale commercial uses, and proposed measures such as recycled wastewater for landscaping and a prohibition on short-term rentals as part of future zone-change conditions.

Franz Kranz, chief of the Community Planning Branch at the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), told the committee DPP reviewed the application against the North Shore Sustainable Communities…