Zoning committee grants 90-day extension for Laie shoreline SMA permit review

The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning on Feb. 13 approved a 90-day extension for action on Resolution 25-24, a special management area (SMA) permit application from Western Community Crossroads LC for work at 50-537 Kamehameha Highway in Laie.

The extension will allow council staff and the Department of Planning and Permitting additional time to review new information the applicant provided last week. The project proposes demolition of three existing dwellings and construction of two new two-story single-family dwellings, replacement of one sewer connection with two new sewer line connections, repairs to fencing, and installation of grass-block pavers on a roughly 24,462-square-foot shoreline lot in the R-5 residential district (TMK 5-5-002:032). The chair noted complicating factors, including differing opinions on erosion rates, shoreline setback timing considerations, and proposed foundation or adaptation measures to mitigate coastal hazards.

Dawn Takeuchi Apuna, director-designate of the Department of Planning and Permitting, told the committee the administration is “supportive of this resolution, extending the time.” Chair Tommy Waters said the extension was requested in miscellaneous communication MC-602025 from the applicant’s agent and recommended a 90-day extension. With no objections from committee members, the chair ordered the extension.

The committee limited public testimony at the meeting to comments on the extension only and did not take up the substantive provisions of Resolution 25-24. The chair reminded applicants seeking discretionary approvals to meet early with committee members and staff after a processing agency transmits its report to the council to avoid extensions.

Action on the underlying SMA permit will resume after the additional review period, and the council will take up substantive debate and any public testimony on the project at a later date.