Progress on Waipi’o Point Access Road Multimodal and Safety Improvements: Environmental Exemption, Funding, Construction, and Next Steps

Last month, SHADE Institute along with its consultants met virtually with the Department of Transportation Services (DTS) to discuss updates on environmental exemption, funding, construction, and next steps for the Waipi’o Point Access Road Multimodal and Safety Improvements (WPARMSI) project. SHADE is the project developer who is responsible for community relations, permitting, procurement, and management of project consultants. DTS is the responsible agency who will comment upon, and receive the project documents for permitting approvals, procurement, and management of construction of this project. Also present at the meeting were SHADE’s legal consultant, William Yuen, and planning consultant, Kawika McKeague from G70.

SHADE Fellow, Cuong Tran opened with a quick overview of the project and went over the Environmental Assessment Exemption Items for the project, which then lead into a discussion of the role of community support. Support was well received after SHADE presented to the Waipahu Neighborhood Board on the Thursday night prior. Meeting participants agreed upon a timeline of deliverables where SHADE and its planning consultant, G70 will produce the appropriate documents to send to DTS for approval in August. G70 representative, Kawika McKeague explained that the project is scheduled to obtain the Environmental Assessment Exemption under agency review and be confirmed before the end of August.

WPARMSI project leadership will continue to lobby for construction funding, which is estimated to be $6.8 million according to DTS representative, Renee Espiau. Council Member Brandon Elefante’s proposed bill for $1M toward WPARMSI construction was passed by the City Council and signed into law by the Mayor with the caveat that State funding matches it.

The Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) is currently being drafted by SHADE’s legal consultant, William Yuen to memorialize the roles, responsibilities, and gifting of this public interest design project’s development, planning, and design services to the City & County of Honolulu.

Once the MOU is completed this month, DTS will procure and manage the WPARMSI Project’s construction. SHADE Executive Director, Dean Sakamoto expressed his preference to continue to work with DTS and Espiau through completion of this unique and important project.

Waipio Point Access Road Multimodal & Safety Improvements (WPARMSI) Community Design Workshop 4.0

SHADE Institute and its community partners invited a range of stakeholders to participate in the Institute’s first virtual community design workshop. The workshop kicked off with introductions from SHADE’s 2020 Summer Fellows, who are graduate students working on the preliminary design phase of the project. Meeting facilitators provided a brief overview of the WPARMSI project. Fellows introduced SHADE director, Dean Sakamoto and project champion, Mary Pat Waterhouse. Workshop participants also provided their own introductions.  

Fellows then provided a deeper look into project updates and the overall design proposal. SHADE Fellows will be completing the preliminary design phase this summer. This fall, the pre-final design phase will start and be completed as well. For more information, please refer to the presentation provided below. 

Following the project presentation, the workshop divided into three break-out group sessions happening simultaneously. A series of 6 questions pertaining to the Waipio Access Point Road lead the discussion while break-out group leaders provided virtual tours of the site through an interactive map. Questions covered pedestrian safety, traffic flow along the road, flooding conditions, parking issues, among other concerns. Stakeholders gathered in small groups and discussed their feedback, shared their memories of the site, and debated the feasibility and potential of design proposals.

The meeting concluded with everyone coming back together from break-out sessions. SHADE Institute is seeking the valuable voices and stories of the community members—we encourage your input through our survey and questionnaire. We also welcome the opportunity to become further involved with SHADE through our Friends of WPARMSI Citizen’s Group where updates on upcoming neighborhood board meetings offer opportunities to publicly testify in support of this project.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY AND BE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED TO WIN ONE OF THREE $10 DON QUIJOTE GIFT CARDS!

*Deadline to complete survey: Sunday July 26. Winners will be notified by the end of the month.

Arts & Transportation Rapid Response Grant Application for Chinatown

Dean Sakamoto and Chinatown property owner, Ave Kwok shared the Institute's intent to improve the safety and commerce around the Hotel/Maunakea Street corridor to a COVID-capacity gathering at the Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Meeting on June 4, 2020. The Institute has applied for a Smart Growth America Arts & Transportation Rapid Response Grant Application that will address COVID-19 mitigation through artistic and design intervention in multimodal transportation zones. 

Hotel Street is a dedicated bus  & bike corridor within Chinatown's narrow streets and sidewalks at which businesses, pedestrians, and homeless people converge without enough space for routine passage and newly required social distancing. As a result, bus stops are congested and conflict with businesses that have suffered financially and are now unsafe especially with after-hours homeless encampments.

The Institute is seeking area property owners, businesses and residents to collaborate as stakeholders for this effort. SGA funding will be announced by mid-June. Interested parties should contact the Institute at shade.institute.hi@gmail.com or (808) 591-5558. 

Hawaii Public Radio's Noe Tanigawa provided excellent coverage of this highly attended meeting on The Conversation on June 5, 2020:

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/conversation-reopening-restaurants-dine  

For info on the SGA grant see:

https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/arts-culture/arts-transportation-rapid-response-application/  

Concept Site Plan and Park Visualizations

Kanehili Community Association Park moves forward with design development! This uniquely Hawaiian park will have several features native to the islands such as a lei garden, Imu, Hula mound, and an area for native games such as Ulu Maika and Konane. Sustainability also takes shape with native planting of local trees and shrubbery as well as Solar PV Panels on several of the park’s buildings. The Community Center, found towards the center of the park, takes its form from native architecture while modern design maximizes air flow, light, and comfort in this unique gathering space. But that’s not all! Play features include a Basketball Court, Playground, Playfield, and even a Splashpad for the kids to cool off in under the hot Hawaiian sun! For further information take a look at the images below!

2020 Call for Summer Fellows