TOOL 1

List of DEIS Proposed Actions

DEIS Section numbers are given in parenthesis

The DEIS Guidance Tools is still under construction. Files will be available for download soon.

While all points deserve review, Mālama Moana is currently concerned about two of the twenty changes:

  1. Pi‘ikoi Street and Queen Street pedestrian entrance expansions and partial drainage canal cover; (2.3.3) 
  2. Widening the shared-use path along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive; (2.3.6) 
  3. Widening the shared-use path along the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor; (2.3.10) 
  4. Improve the existing canoe launch ramp and crossing from the Canoe Hālau; (2.3.11) 
  5. Rearranging the parking along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive to add loading and unloading zones near crosswalks; (2.3.5)
  6. Reconfigure parking on the mauka side of Ala Moana Park Drive to add more stalls; (2.3.5)
  7. Keyhole parking lot expansion and reconfiguration; (2.3.5) 
  8. Reconfigure and expand Magic Island parking lot; (2.3.5) 
  9. Improve the pond edges and paths; (2.3.2) 
  10. Renovate McCoy Pavilion and the banyan courtyard; (2.3.12) 
  11. Improve “high spot” terrace for ADA access, repair pergola, and widen the shared-use paths on both sides; (2.3.13)
  12. Repair drainage canal walls; (2.3.4) 
  13. Repair the Bridle Bridge; (2.3.9) 
  14. Add a dog park near Kewalo Basin; (2.3.1) 
  15. Repair Roosevelt Portals at Atkinson Street entrance (Sec. 2.3.7) and improve the Kamakee Street entrance; (2.3.8) 
  16. Sand replenishment and long-term beach nourishment; (2.3.14) 
  17. Build a playground; (2.3.15) 
  18. Relocate the maintenance yard; (2.3.16) 
  19. Create a multiuse facility at the Lawn Bowling area; (2.3.17) 
  20. Relocate the Ocean Safety’s Honolulu Headquarters; (2.3.18) 

TOOL 2

Blank Template

An example of a template; fill in bracketed areas with your comments

 

 

 

 

Refer to List of DEIS Proposed Actions and DEIS Section numbers above

 

 

 

 

 

To: Mayor Kirk Caldwell <kcaldwell@honolulu.gov>; Robert Kroning <rkroning@honolulu.gov>; Joanne Hiramatsu <jhiramatsu@bchdesign.com>

Subject: Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Ala Moana Regional Park and Magic Island Improvements, issued by Belt Collins on July 8, 2018

Aloha Kakou,

I am commenting on the Master Plan for Ala Moana Regional Park DEIS. I do like many proposed actions in the Master Plan, but there are proposed actions I have issues with. I feel strongly about the following issues because this park means a lot to me for the following reasons: 

[Write your comment(s) here]

 

Thank you for allowing me to voice my concerns about the following (#) proposed actions in the DEIS.

My biggest issue with the DEIS is "____________________________________________" in Section _______.

[Write your comment(s) here]

 

I think/feel/believe that

[Write your comment(s) here]

 

My next biggest issue with the DEIS is "________________________________________" in Section _______.

[Write your comment(s) here]

 

I think/feel/believe that

[Write your comment(s) here]

 

Please do not go forward with these plans for the reasons I have stated. In closing, thank you, again, for allowing me to voice my concerns. I do hope you are listening to what the people of Hawaii want and do not want.

Sincerely yours,

[Write your name here]

[Write your address here]

[Write your email here]

TOOL 3

Sample Letters

An example of a response to the DEIS

TO: Mayor Kirk Caldwell<kcaldwell@honolulu.gov>; Robert Kroning<rkroning@honolulu.gov>; Joanne Hiramatsu <jhiramatsu@bchdesign.com>

SUBJECT: Concerns about safety of DEIS Section 2.3.6. Makai Shared Use Path

Aloha Kakou,

Ala Moana Beach Park was established in 1934 as “the People’s Park”. Originally known as Kālia, few long-time residents or even visitors refer to the park as Ala Moana Regional Park. Its naturally beautiful beach is what endears this park to the People. On any given day, people safely swim, body board, surf, kayak, stand up paddle, canoe paddle, snorkel, water exercise including walking from Magic Island to Kewalo, do SUP yoga, and fish on the reef or catch halalu near the shore. On shore, the sandy beach offers park users opportunities to build sand castles, sun bathe, collect seashells, jog or walk, picnic, read, meditate, fish, or watch the sunrise or sunset.

People who use the beach for these purposes frequently have bulky items to carry—surf boards and paddles, inflatable tubes, beach toys, fishing gear, nets, kayaks, canoes, exercise equipment, towels, umbrellas, etc. Any plans for park improvement must prioritize safe access to its major asset--the beach.

The proposed “Makai Shared Use Path” in DEIS Section 2.3.6 does the opposite, creating obstacles for beach users carrying their equipment to get safely to the beach. Changing the name from “promenade” in the EISPN to "Makai shared use path" in the DEIS does little to address the original problem created by the widened pathway—the safety of people on foot vs. those on wheeled vehicles.

On page 2-21, lines 17 to 24, the kinds of shared use that currently exists are noted. However, Figure 2-8, Widen Shared-Use Path, on page 2-24, shows most of the grassy area gone with sterile benches where local families like to picnic (observed in 2-21, lines 23-24) and where surfers put down their boards to wax them. Removing the grass takes out useful functions and replaces it with hot cement that sets up dangerous exchanges on the multi-modal pathway and benches that block people’s access to the beach from the road.

If Figure 2-8 is the vision of an improved beach park, it’s ironic that all the people are wearing street clothes. Everyone has shoes on, so they won’t feel the hot cement or sand between their toes. There’s not a single bike, Segway or skateboarder in sight, perhaps because sketching that in would draw attention to the hazards of shared use. The City’s argument that this is complying with “Complete Streets” is a misapplication. Ala Moana Beach Park is not a neighborhood, it’s a beach park! And, in neighborhoods where there are such plans are being applied, successful efforts make bike lanes on the road, separate from cars, and separate from pedestrian sidewalk.

Speaking of cars, they are not shown in Figure 2-8. Despite the City’s concession of keeping most of the Makai side parking, the benches and planters pictured make it difficult for people parking the makai side to exit from their doors closest to the beach. And if they are carrying beach equipment, they will need to unload from the active roadside.

In conclusion, I recommend that City reconsider the folly of Section 2.3.6 and concentrate instead on actions that improve the function of the park and preserve the beauty of the natural environment such: as repairing the sidewalks and maintaining the grassy areas; increasing the maintenance of showers and bathrooms; providing sturdy and attractive trash receptacles and charcoal disposal areas to prevent litter; and creating better signage at the Park to indicate areas where safe fishing can take place, sandy areas for keiki and kupuna to swim or play, etc.

As a taxpayer in Hawaii for more than 50 years, I want the City to expend my taxes on what is most needed for the most people of Hawai`i. Please heed the voices of the people to Keep Ala Moana beach park a safe place for our `ohana as “the People’s Park.”

Sincerely,

Shar Chun-Lum

(Writer's Address)

(Writer's Email Address)

July 21, 2018

TO:  Mayor Kirk Caldwell<kcaldwell@honolulu.gov>

       Robert Kroning<rkroning@honolulu.gov>  

       Joanne Hiramatsu< jhiramatsu@bchdesign.com                                                                                                                                  

FROM: Writer's Name <Writer's Email Address>

RE:  Responding to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement issued by Belt Collins on July 8, 2018

Dear Mayor Caldwell,

I am writing in response to the DEIS on the Master Plan for Ala Moana Regional Park.  I do like many parts of the Master Plan, but there are parts I do not want to have included.  I feel very strongly about the following issues because this park means a lot to me for the following reasons:

I have been going to Ala Moana park almost every day for 14 years to swim and surf. I love the surf and the local people who come to the park to enjoy it with their families.

Thank you for allowing me to voice my concerns about the following points proposed in the DEIS.

There are 2 issues in the DEIS that I would like to voice my comments about:

My biggest issue with the DEIS is:

  1. In Section 2.3.6, it proposes

“widening the shared use path along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive.”

I think that this is a bad idea for several reasons.

It will make the makai grassy strip narrower so that it cannot be used for local families to picnic on underneath tents in the sun. This is usually done on weekends in about 30% of the grass strip, and so the grass has 5 weekdays to recover from this use. It is a lovely way for families to enjoy the park.

I also think that “Shared use” means that wheeled vehicles (other than for disabled folks) would be on the same path as pedestrians and this is dangerous. Wheeled vehicles should use a separate marked lane in the street, or a path on the mauka side of the park most of which already exists.

  1. In Section 2.3.5, it is written that the proposal will “reconfigure the mauka side of Ala Moana Park Drive to add more stalls.”

I believe that perpendicular parking on the mauka side will be much more inconvenient than parallel parking for families who bring a lot of stuff to the park for their picnics and may cause conflict between park users who will find it difficult to open their side doors to unload when they are parked this way. It will also be much more dangerous for wheeled vehicles such as bikes that may be in the street, and will certainly result in accidents when cars have to back out into traffic to leave their parking stall.

Please do not go forward with these plans for the reasons I have stated.  In closing, I would like to say thank you for allowing me to voice my concerns and I do hope you are listening to what the people of Hawaii want and don’t want.

Sincerely yours,

Brad Frye

2.3.5 Parking

1. The DEIS states that the mauka parking stalls will be reconfigured into perpendicular stalls. This was opposed when it was proposed in the earlier Environmental Impact Statement Preliminary Notice (EISPN). Clearly, backing out of a perpendicular stall is much more dangerous than exiting from a parallel parking stall. The safety issues are obvious because of no clear visual of traffic passing behind the exiting car. Also, in order to construct the perpendicular stalls, existing grassy areas with trees on the mauka side of the drive will be eliminated. 

2. I prefer that the mauka parking stay parallel the way it is now. 

3. Issue: Converting a large portion of the Mauka parking to perpendicular mode is unsafe, costly, disruptive to traffic and to the environment, and unneeded.

  • Table 2-2, Proposed and Existing Parking Count (Public Parking) outlines an increase of 234 parking spaces. Yet, the traffic study in Appendix C for the DEIS (discussed in Section 3.9) found that on weekdays, 53 more spaces would provide optimal parking while on the weekend 113 more spaces would be optimal. Hence, the proposal exceeds the need by over 100%.
  • Perpendicular parking requires twice as much space length-wise, requiring the permanent elimination of significant grassy areas and removal of trees, and disruption due to roadwork on Ala Moana Park Drive.
  • Perpendicular parking is more dangerous because line of sight is difficult with cars backing into oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and bikers. Why spend taxpayer’s dollars to create a hazardous situation that may also lead to lawsuits for negligence on the City’s part.
  • Recommendation: Gather data for a year to determine if this is sufficient for the overflow parking needed on weekends and at special events before incurring the additional expense of Tax payer dollars, disruption to the traffic in the park, and permanent loss of green space in the mauka lawn. Converting some existing Mauka parallel parking to perpendicular parking would yield 94 more spaces but create dangerous traffic, loss of green space for park users, and significant taxpayers dollars.

2.3.6 Makai Shared-Use Path

1. In spite of strong public opposition to widening of the existing promenade proposed in the EIS Preparation Notice (EISPN), the DEIS includes a widened promenade, which is now being referred to as a “shared-use path”. With proposed design options, there will be no green space to erect tents on special occasions, and the addition of large planters and more benches along the shared-use path replaces the existing green space along the promenade. The addition of the planters and benches will cause access issues with those parking on the makai side of the Ala Moana Beach Drive. The elimination of the green space is a crucial issue as park-users use the green space for picnics, sunset viewing, easy access to the beach, and a convenient place to keep an eye on keiki and other family members.   

2. The Ala Moana Regional Park is the beach park for the people of the City and County of Honolulu, the foremost conceptual requirements to remember are easy access to the beach and the ability to picnic close to and/or at the beach, conveniently. The existing facilities which are the Makai parking and the grassy area between the Makai parking and existing sidewalk, together, meet these requirements. The proposed widened “Makai Shared-Use Path,” which widens the concrete walkways and adds obstructive planters do not meet the people’s requirements. Changes and/or alterations to the existing Makai grassy area and sidewalk are not what the beach park users want. 

3. I am against a widened shared-use path because I believe that increasing the capacity of the existing sidewalk is not necessary as it is capable of handling the existing walker, jogger, and runner traffic. In addition, I believe the path should not be shared with bicycles. The reason of this belief is safety. I think having cyclists mixed with walkers on the same path is not safe, due to the differences in speeds at which people walk and cyclists ride. There is the potential of collisions. I think a bikeway should be provided on Ala Moana Park Drive.

4. Ala Moana Beach Park was established in 1934 as the People’s Park. Any plans for park improvement must prioritize the major function (asset) of the park—access to and use of the beach.

What makes Ala Moana Beach Park special to so many people is its long tradition of providing easy access to the Pacific Ocean that can be enjoyed in so many ways. On any given day, there are people safely swimming, body boarding, surfing, kayaking, stand up paddling, canoe paddling, snorkeling, water exercise including walking from Magic Island to Kewalo, SUP yoga, and fishing from the shore or the reef.

The sandy beach and shoreline offers park users opportunities to build sand castles, sun bathe, collect seashells, jog or walk, picnic, read, meditate, fish, watch the sunrise or sunset, etc.

People who use the beach for these purposes frequently have items to carry—surf boards and paddles, inflatable tubes, beach toys, fishing gear, nets, kayaks, canoes, exercise equipment, towels, umbrellas, etc. It comes with the function.

The proposed “Makai Shared Use Path” in DEIS Section 2.3.6 creates obstacles to beach users in getting safely to the beach. The copy on page 2-21, lines 17 to 24 talks about the kinds of shared use that currently exists. However, Figure 2-8, Widen Shared-Use Path, on page 2-24, shows most of the grassy area gone with sterile benches where local families like to picnic (observed in 2-21, lines 23-24) or surfers put down their boards to wax them. The use shown is more passive, sitting on benches and looking at the sunset (page 2-21, line 36 and 2-22, line 1), without any discussion of using the beach or picnicking.

Also missing from Figure 2-8 is cars. Despite heralding the concession of keeping most of the Makai side parking, the benches and planters pictured will make it difficult for people parking the makai side to exit from their doors closest to the beach. And if they are carrying beach equipment, they will need to unload from the active roadside.

I recommend actions that improve the function of the park and preserve the beauty of the natural environment:

  • Maintain and repair the sidewalks and grassy areas,
  • Increase maintenance of showers and bathrooms,
  • Provide sturdy and attractive trash receptacles and Charcoal disposal areas to prevent litter

Please heed the voices of the people to Keep Ala Moana beach park safe for the People of Hawai`i.

5. Bikes, scooters and Segways should be in the street in a marked lane. Widen the street on the mauka side if that is required. 

6. Bikes, scooters and Segways should use a dedicated lane that runs through the mauka side of the park. 

7. I want the sidewalk widened by moving the street mauka so that the grassy area stays the same width.

8. I think the sidewalk and grassy area are OK as they are now. 

TOOL 4

Sample Comments

The following is a list of comments from Malama Moana members on proposed actions that we oppose. These proposed actions are in the following DEIS sections:  2.3.5 Parking, page 2-17 2. 2.3.6 Makai Shared-Use Path, page 2-21