Zoning committee advances Kaneohe shoreline SMA permit with conditions, timeline

The Zoning Committee on Thursday amended and reported out Resolution 25‑49 (CD1), clearing a Special Management Area (SMA) major permit for demolition of two existing single‑family dwellings and construction of two new three‑story single‑family dwellings on an approximately 20,645‑square‑foot shoreline parcel at 46029 Lilipuna Road in Kaneohe.

The committee’s CD1 establishes conditions that let the project rely on a 40‑foot shoreline setback only if the applicant obtains a building permit by June 30, 2025. If the building permit is not obtained by that date, the project must comply with a 60‑foot shoreline setback under the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) effective July 1, 2024; that change could require relocation of the north dwelling and additional mauka relocation of the south dwelling and associated regrading to show compliance on revised building‑permit plans.

Why it matters: The CD1 ties the project’s allowable setback to a hard permit deadline and adds ordinance compliance requirements intended to limit future shoreline conflict and ensure parking and front‑yard setbacks meet city code. The committee reported the CD1 out for adoption with no objections, moving the measure toward final council consideration.

The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) told the committee it supported the CD1 and staff answered technical questions during the meeting. Mark Holland of Well Environmental Services LLC, the applicant’s agent, gave a brief presentation and described the proposal as a local family’s redevelopment of two single‑family homes at the end of a peninsula in Kaneohe. "We rely on the council to carefully regard the project," Holland said during his presentation.

Key conditions in CD1 listed on the agenda and described at the hearing include: - The project may rely on the 40‑foot shoreline setback only if a building permit is obtained by June 30, 2025; otherwise the 60‑foot ROH setback applies and may force relocation of the north dwelling and, if necessary, the south dwelling further mauka. - Project plans must be revised to show any relocation, regrading, and the 60‑foot setback area if triggered. - Project building‑permit plans must remove the 23 square feet of zoning lot area lost to erosion as shown on a certified shoreline survey dated March 15, 2024, and compute development standards on the remaining lot area within the State Land Use Urban District. - The plans must resolve noncompliance with land‑use development standards that affect front‑yard stairs/wall encroachments and must show the 10 required off‑street parking spaces and that vehicles can enter and exit the street in a forward‑facing manner as required by ROH 20.1‑6.5(B) when five or more spaces are provided.

DPP staff noted these required changes could make it difficult for the project to obtain a building permit by the June 30 deadline. The chair said the applicant’s late request to extend that deadline was not being considered because it arrived after the amendment deadline.

The committee amended the resolution to CD1 and reported it out for adoption without objections.

The committee record shows the project’s building permit application was accepted as complete on June 12, 2024, and the parcel is identified in the committee report by tax map key 4,601,011.

Members of the public did not register to testify on this item at the hearing. DPP and the applicant answered members’ questions before the committee acted.

What’s next: Reporting the CD1 out for adoption sends the resolution to the full Council for consideration on the council’s adoption schedule.