Planning 21st century Kalihi

My memories of growing up in the Kalihi-Kapalama area in the 20^th century: going to Woolworth’s for Icees at the Kamehameha Shopping Center… spending a summer at the YMCA in Kalihi… taking the #2 School-Middle bus around town… borrowing books from the Kalihi-Palama Public Library…

Now we’re looking to Kalihi in the 21^st century. This summer the Hawaii Office of Planning and the Kalihi 21^st Century Transformation Initiative’s Vision Committee released the “21^st Century Kalihi Transformation Initiative: Vision Report 2017.” The report is based on work by the public and private sector committee members and community input at three public informational meetings, and spotlight’s the top priorities of economic development and housing.

Mahalo to the Vision Committee, which designed an impressive planning process. Community meetings began with the 5 Pillars of Aloha to ensure that participants are welcome and inclusive; and included a graphic recorder for visual note-taking, maps with sticky notes that highlight action items and priorities, word-clouds, and wish cards for community feedback. I especially like the comments by children.

I learned that 72% of Kalihi residents are renters (compared with 45% of Oahu residents) and 30% of Kalihi residents take public transportation to work (compared with 6% of Oahu residents). This tells me that transit-oriented development will help Kalihi – though the Honolulu rail may not take residents where they need to go.

I learned that as of November 2016, 10 alternate sites for OCCC are being reviewed. Construction costs alone are projected to be $433 million to $673 million, depending on the site selected. I have to wonder why it took over a decade to reach this point.

I learned about the Kalihi-Palama Action Plan (2004), which envisioned possible uses of the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) site. The most practical proposal is a Multi-Cultural Market Place with an open market, playgrounds, pedestrian paths, outdoor stage, and green spaces. The most inspirational proposal is the Lo‘i Kalo Cultural Park with a taro patch, hale pili (grass house), and cultural classes and workshops for schools, residents, and visitors – a gathering place and center of learning.

Lo’i Kalo Cultural Park, Kalihi-Palama Action Plan (2004)

At the end, I was left with two basic questions that are beyond the scope of the Vision Report, but that need to be answered:

How will Honolulu pay for redevelopment in Kalihi? The Vision Report deliberately avoids the financial impact of redevelopment, but we need to know how much our vision could cost, and who will pay for it. Will we raise property taxes, general excise taxes, gas taxes, or transient-accommodations taxes? Could we create a public-private real estate investment trust (REIT), which would allow people to invest and “own shares” in Kalihi?

How can we ensure that residents aren’t priced out of their homes? Whenever we redevelop deteriorating neighborhoods, there is the danger of current residents being unable to afford their homes. Could we limit property tax increases so that residents are not hit by large increases in property values and taxes? Will affordable housing be “affordable” for 10, 20, 30 or more years? Could we create “affordable” leases for small businesses, so that neighborhood businesses have a chance?

What are your stories about growing up, living, working, or doing business in Kalihi? What do you envision for Kalihi in the next 50 years?

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Tags: 21st Century Kalihi, Kalihi, Kalihi Vision Report, Kalihi-Palama Action Plan

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