Hawai'i Community Development Authority

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi recently celebrated the Navy’s transfer of 400 acres at Kalaeloa to the city for recreational facilities.

But on Wednesday, the City Council learned about the fine print of the deal — and why major park development could be years away.

After the base closed, the military left behind hazardous chemicals, unexploded ordnance in some areas and buried cultural and archeological sites.

The Navy tried to identify and remediate some of the risks, but making it usable is up to the city.

City Parks Director Laura Thielen said the decision was to get the land so the west side could begin to catch up to the rest of the island’s recreational opportunities.

“We took title to them when it’s been sitting there since the 1980s,” Thielen told council members.

“So, we will continue to progress.”

Thielen said the easiest step is to improve campgrounds the city has already been managing.

Then will come years of historic site reviews and planning for how to cover up and avoid dangerous sites — like a coral pit used as a military dump.

“It wouldn’t require remediation for those things. But just not using that particular area, capping it off and not utilizing that water for anything,” she said.

The Navy’s deed transferring the 400 acres discloses a number of challenges, such as hazardous materials and pollution, but does not indicate there are any sites with potential unexploded ordnance.

The city’s acceptance of the acreage is in contrast to a recent state Hawaii Community Development Authority decision to reject more than 200 acres makai of the city land.

HCDA planner Lindsey Doi Leaderman told the board that protecting the endangered akoko plant would prevent use of many acres and the costs of dealing with hazardous sites were uncertain.

“Some cleanup has been done, but we do know there are many other concerns, and we would be accepting a lot of liability if we were to take on such parcels,” she said, during an HCDA meeting.

Although support seems high for the city acquisition, the discussion Thursday cooled the enthusiasm. Parks Committee Chair Augie Tulba, whose district borders Kalaeloa, said he was concerned about the timeline.

“It’s going to take some time, knowing all the challenges already on the land and what future development will look like,” Tulba said. “So of course, the pipe dream is that we can get this quick, but I doubt that it’s happening very soon.”

Along with campgrounds and a beach park, Thielen mentioned ball fields and gyms are less available on the West side than elsewhere on Oahu. She also said the city is committed to seeking approval for a motor sports facility, which would be for vehicle enthusiasts, but not for spectator events.

Tulba said he’s not sure about the raceway park, and expects it will cause conflict.

Theilen also could not answer a question about how much development would cost, or how much it would cost to maintain the property.

She did say some of the facilities could charge fees to cover some of the costs.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Watch video here.