By Nikki Schenfeld / Mar 7, 2026

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Community members gathered at the Barn Kakaako Saturday to discuss the future of Kakaʻako Makai, an area along Honolulu’s urban shoreline that could eventually see new development — and possibly housing.

The public workshop, hosted by the Hawaii Community Development Authority, marks the beginning of a long-term planning process to update the Kakaʻako Makai Area Plan, which will guide development in the district.

“This is a long-range community master plan that will shape the future of Kakaʻako,” said HCDA Executive Director Craig Nakamoto. “This is really the first step in the process. It’s a journey… and we want to make sure we get the community input from everybody.”

Over 100 residents, beachgoers, environmental advocates and landowners attended the workshop to share ideas about what the waterfront should look like moving forward.

The district includes land owned by several entities, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Kamehameha Schools and the City and County of Honolulu, which manages parks in the area.

Participants discussed priorities ranging from protecting shoreline access and open space to the possibility of introducing housing.

State Sen. Sharon Moriwaki, whose district includes Kakaʻako, said community members repeatedly emphasized the importance of public access to the coastline.

“It’s going to be interesting at the end of the day to see how they combine the two interests to make it something we all will be proud of and a future we can all accept,” Moriwaki said.

However, residential development is currently prohibited in the district. Any change to that policy would require action by the state Legislature.

Moriwaki also noted that the area sits on a former landfill, raising concerns that must be carefully studied before any future development.

“It was built on a landfill, and a lot of it is toxic material,” Moriwaki said. “There are land use, history and geotechnical surveys of what the land is underneath the landfill.”

Environmental groups say those concerns are one reason the residential prohibition exists.

Arleen Velasco, who has been fighting to keep the space open in the area for years and is also a member of the Surfrider Foundation, said disturbing the landfill could pose environmental and health risks.

“If you start disturbing that you could create such a disaster to the nearby ocean,” Velasco said. “If you’re just there walking around, the ocean breeze is blowing, you won’t get sick. But if you’re living there 24/7, there’s a chance you could become ill.”