No 31 Kailua Neighborhood Board Regular Meeting May 2026
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31 Kailua Neighborhood Board Meeting – May 11, 2026
Police Crime Statistics, Traffic Safety Enforcement, and Resident Concerns
Honolulu Police Department representatives reported Kailua’s April crime statistics, showing four motor vehicle thefts compared with zero in March, four burglaries compared with two the previous month, 16 thefts compared with 18 in March, and two unauthorized entries into motor vehicles, unchanged from the prior month. Robberies remained at zero for both months. HPD also announced a statewide “Click It or Ticket” seatbelt enforcement campaign running from May 10 through May 30, with a focus on seatbelt compliance, and highlighted Act 222, which requires motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Traffic Division representatives described HPD’s broader “Safer Roads Together” campaign, which combines enforcement, education, and community outreach and will emphasize speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, and pedestrian safety violations. Residents raised several safety concerns, including equipment protruding from trucks without visible warning flags after a near-miss involving an HTM truck at dusk on April 30 near 7-Eleven. HPD confirmed that loads extending from vehicles should be flagged and said it would follow up directly with the company. Another resident asked about a violent incident near Makapuʻu Point involving six masked attackers; HPD said it would check with investigators and report back, though it cautioned that disclosure might be limited. A resident living near the intersection of Kailua Road and Oneawa Road described persistent excessive vehicle noise in the late afternoon and asked about enforcement options beyond the city’s limited noise camera experiment. HPD explained that meaningful enforcement is difficult without calibrated measuring devices, that most noise enforcement responsibility falls to the Department of Health, and that the courts have historically provided little deterrence for muffler citations. The exchange also revisited prior community recommendations that state moped noise standards be extended to motorcycles through the safety inspection process.
Fire Department Response Activity and Wildfire Preparedness
The Honolulu Fire Department reported one structure fire, two nuisance fires, 12 activated fire alarms, 89 medical calls, and four motor vehicle collisions in April. The fire safety message focused on wildfire prevention and preparedness as Hawaiʻi enters a season of higher wildfire risk marked by dry conditions, tall grass, and shifting winds. HFD emphasized that most wildfires are human-caused and preventable and urged residents to clear dry brush around homes, avoid parking on dry grass because hot exhaust systems can ignite it, and avoid spark-producing activities during hot, dry, windy weather. In discussion, residents asked whether HFD could identify areas of Kailua that are more susceptible to wildfire. The department said it has data identifying problem areas, especially places where residential development meets dry wildland vegetation, and specifically mentioned Lanikai homes adjacent to brush-covered hillsides as a high-risk area. HFD agreed to provide that information to the board so it can be shared more broadly with the public.
Ocean Safety Operations, Medical Incidents, and Water Quality Warnings
Honolulu Ocean Safety reported extremely high April activity across East Oʻahu beaches, including an attendance count of 185,800, 16,120 preventative actions, 1,487 first aid cases, 27,200 public contacts, and 62 rescues from Sandy Beach to Kailua. The department described several serious incidents, including a CPR case involving an unresponsive male on the beach who regained consciousness and made a full recovery after resuscitation and transport. It also reported domestic violence incidents at both Kailua and Waimānalo beaches, requiring HPD assistance, and a DLNR response after kayakers found an unattended lay net offshore in Kailua. At Sandy Beach, Ocean Safety handled a broken leg and two spinal injuries, and at China Walls it responded to a 22-year-old man who was slammed into the wall and suffered a broken leg. On the marine resource side, NOAA and DLNR were called for monk seal incidents at Sandy Beach and the Blowhole, including one case of public harassment, and DLNR was notified after a dead reef shark washed ashore at Kailua Beach. Board members and residents used the report to raise larger concerns about sewage spills and delayed public warnings when exceedances affect nearshore water quality. Ocean Safety said it sometimes receives notifications from the Department of Health, but not always in a timely way, and confirmed that state agencies are generally responsible for posting warning signs and notices. A board member referenced an earlier neighborhood board resolution calling for more standardized hazard signage at beach parks and lifeguard towers to warn about recurring conditions such as brown water, box jellyfish, sharks, and turtles. Ocean Safety said it already posts hazard notices when conditions warrant, but agreed that more consistent, visible general hazard signage could help inform the public.
Shoreline Development Conditions for 60 Kapuni Drive
The board approved a motion recommending that specific conditions be added to the Special Management Area Major permit application for 60 Kapuni Drive before approval by the City Council’s zoning and planning process. The board’s planning committee explained that applicants for major SMA permits are required to present to the neighborhood board and that the board has developed a standard list of recommended conditions intended to protect shoreline resources, native vegetation, and wildlife. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, none opposed, and two abstentions. The discussion underscored the board’s continuing role in reviewing shoreline-area development proposals and advocating conditions that reflect Kailua’s environmental concerns.
Debate Over Bill 53 and Affordable Housing Notification and Parking
A lengthy discussion centered on Bill 53, a City Council measure related to affordable rental housing projects. Supporters explained that the bill would require affordable housing applicants to present their projects to neighborhood boards and would establish a minimum parking requirement of one parking space for every two units. The measure was prompted in part by community frustration over a recently built 60-foot apartment building across from Kailua Elementary School that many residents said advanced without meaningful notice to the neighborhood board or surrounding community and without on-site parking. Supporters argued that the notice requirement would improve transparency and give communities an opportunity to comment before projects move forward, while the parking requirement would be better than the current possibility of no parking at all. Opponents on the board questioned whether a countywide parking mandate was appropriate given differing development contexts, particularly in urban Honolulu or rail-served areas, and expressed concern that requiring parking could substantially increase housing costs and make affordable projects less feasible. One board member noted hearing estimates of roughly $50,000 per parking space in new construction. Other members said that while the bill’s notice provisions were important, the parking requirements and resident manager restrictions made it too broad and too inflexible. Councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina added legislative context, explaining that the more immediate policy conflict affecting Kailua comes from Bill 7-era affordable housing provisions dating to 2019, which allow certain projects up to 60 feet and conflict with community plan height limits. She described her own Bill 17, which would limit Bill 7 projects to the underlying zoning height or 60 feet, whichever is less, and contrasted it with Bill 18, which would allow Bill 7 projects to exceed local sustainability plan limits in some areas. She told the board that Bill 53 did not appear to be moving and that the main policy battle at the council was over how Bill 7 projects interact with adopted community plans. After debate, the board motion supporting Bill 53 failed on a 6-5-3 vote, with six in favor, five opposed, and three abstentions.
Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi Updates, RIMPAC, and Sewage System Questions
Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi’s new Director of Government Affairs, Community Engagement, and Communications introduced herself and provided updates on the upcoming Rim of the Pacific exercise, which will begin in late June and continue through July. She said some activity will occur on or near Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi and that more information will be shared as plans advance. The board also learned that Colonel Bevan will soon complete his tenure as commanding officer and will be succeeded by Colonel Stephen DeTrenis, who is already familiar with Hawaiʻi. Members asked whether Bellows Beach would be closed during RIMPAC; the base said no weekend closure had been announced but promised advance notice if that changes. There will be no air show this year. Residents also pressed the base about recent sewage exceedances. The base representative said the planned wastewater treatment plant upgrades have not yet been completed, though federal funding has been secured and the environmental review was finished last year. She attributed recent exceedances to heavy rains and aging infrastructure and said the Department of Health is notified in accordance with permit requirements. The discussion focused on the broad Department of Health advisories covering all of Kāneʻohe Bay whenever exceedances occur, even though the base facility is smaller than the City’s Kailua plant and uses a shared outfall. Questions were raised about whether partially treated or untreated sewage could enter the system during overflow events and about the timeline for fully upgrading the base system. The base said it would return later with more specifics. A resident also thanked the base for allowing the Seacoast Defense Study Group to visit military sites.
Alexander & Baldwin Events, New Businesses, Paʻani Lanes, and Ownership Change
Alexander & Baldwin updated the board on community events and commercial activity in Kailua Town. A&B said it had participated in the recent I Love Kailua Town Party and would again sponsor Fourth of July shuttle service between the Kailua Town parking garage and Kailua Beach Center, running from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. every 30 minutes. The company also announced the return of Symphony in the Park on July 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Kailua District Park, the Kailua Emergency Preparedness Fair on September 12 from 9 a.m. to noon, and Kailua Fall Fest on September 26 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Kailua Town Center parking garage. It also promoted recurring monthly events including I Love Hula, Kanikapila in Kailua, the Helekīli Street Sidewalk Sale, and the Thursday evening farmers market. On the retail side, A&B reported several new tenants, including Sunset Noodle House, Kaumana Kitchen 3, Lotus Cafe, iCenter Hawaii, Center for Healing, RE/MAX Hawaii, Game Day Men’s Health, Revolt Studio, Harley-Davidson, and an upcoming Club Pilates. A&B said locally owned businesses still account for more than 80 percent of its Kailua tenants. The company also addressed continuing questions about the former Paʻani Lanes bowling alley property, saying it has undertaken soil testing and other investigative work both at that site and elsewhere in Kailua and hopes to share ideas by the end of the year about what may be possible there. Board members referenced annual survey results showing the most popular desired reuse options for Paʻani Lanes were bowling with 102 responses, open space park with 92, restaurants with 74, and retail shops with 41. During a broader exchange about community trust and control, board members questioned how residents can have meaningful input into decisions affecting a town where one owner controls much of downtown. A&B responded that although the company was acquired on March 12 by a joint venture led by Blackstone, MW Group, and DivcoWest, local leadership and day-to-day operations remain unchanged. It emphasized that Kailua remains a unique property with an on-site team of five, most of whom live nearby, and said the company had learned from prior pushback over Paʻani Lanes and intends to engage the community before advancing new plans. The board also asked about the proposed Chick-fil-A project and was told the applicant is expected to return to the planning and zoning committee with more detailed information.
Resident Testimony on Water Main Break Flooding and Calls for Action
One of the meeting’s most urgent discussions came from a resident whose home on Kailua Road was severely flooded by a 12-inch Board of Water Supply main break around midnight on March 28. He described a catastrophic release that created a hole in the roadway roughly 20 feet wide and 6 to 8 feet deep and deposited an estimated 100 cubic yards of sand into his yard. He said the front yard filled with about three feet of water and sand, the rear yard with approximately a foot and a half of water, and his four-bedroom, three-bath home has effectively been reduced to one usable bedroom and one bath. He recounted waking up with four inches of water inside his house, wading through rising floodwater, rescuing his German Shepherd as water rushed through the gate, and trying to get the electricity shut off to avoid electrocution. HECO responded, but he said both his insurer, Allstate, and the Board of Water Supply denied responsibility, with the insurer stating he lacked flood insurance and the Board of Water Supply arguing the break was sudden and unforeseeable. His daughter said the family appealed the Board of Water Supply determination and was trying to navigate an administrative process before any litigation. Both state lawmakers and board members responded sympathetically. Senator Chris Lee said he had experienced a similar insurance gap after his own flooding incident and suggested that broader legislative remedies may be needed to ensure residents are not left uncompensated when public infrastructure failures destroy homes. Councilmember Kiaʻāina said she had already been in contact with the family and that the appeal must be exhausted before further legal steps are considered, but she questioned the fairness of the Board’s position because the house would not have flooded but for the utility break. Other comments highlighted the Board of Water Supply’s poor communication and the possibility that municipal liability standards may need reform. The neighborhood board agreed to send the issue to its Transportation and Public Works Committee for discussion at its next meeting, with the possibility of future board action or a resolution in support of affected residents.
Traffic Speeding, Road Safety, and Parking Lot Conditions
Residents brought several transportation concerns from around Kailua. One longtime resident described dangerous speeding on Mokapu Boulevard near the back gate area and on Oneawa Road, where narrow road width, bike lanes, and unsafe passing around turning vehicles create hazards for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers entering their driveways. Councilmember Kiaʻāina responded that the city portion of Mokapu Boulevard near the base gate has been the subject of HPD enforcement efforts and that planners are considering narrowing the road from two lanes to one rather than relying only on speed humps. For Oneawa Road, she said the issue is already part of the Kailua Complete Streets planning process, which includes five proposed speed tables. Residents also raised concerns about the city parking lot across from Pūʻali Road near the affordable housing site and medical offices. One speaker described the lot as dangerous for elderly users because of large potholes and deterioration. Councilmember Kiaʻāina explained that archaeological surveying is underway before major renovation work can proceed because trenching and deeper improvements could uncover iwi kūpuna or other cultural resources. She said the survey work had been delayed by storms and would not be completed until late in the year or early next year, but emphasized that interim pothole filling can and should still be done. The discussion also touched on meter modernization, with plans to replace the old system with smartphone-based payment technology.
Mayor’s Office Follow-Up on Flooding and Kapaʻa Quarry Road
The Mayor’s representative said Director Jim Ireland was absent because he was in Kailua that evening with the city’s CORE team assisting homeless residents and had helped two people get off the streets that night. In follow-up to prior flooding concerns about Kapaʻa Quarry Road, the representative reported that the Department of Facility Maintenance is working with the State, the Board of Water Supply, and the Department of Design and Construction to develop a solution to mitigate flooding, though no detailed plan was available yet. Residents stressed that the situation remains dangerous. One speaker described a recent incident in which a car went off the road into floodwater and said the patchwork of state, city, and school ownership complicates accountability. He argued that even if long-term reconstruction is difficult, the city and state should at least cut roadside grass more consistently so drivers can better perceive where water edges and shoulders are. Additional comments criticized pothole conditions throughout Kailua, including on Kapaʻa Quarry Road, and argued that road safety has not kept pace with industrial expansion in the area. Another resident asked about tree overgrowth obscuring views and potentially hanging into utility lines along Kailua Road and Kalanianaʻole Highway. The Mayor’s representative also took questions about eroded sand near the Kailua Canoe Club launch area by Kailua Pālu Stream and whether parking blocked by bridge work could be opened outside active construction hours, agreeing to follow up.
Governor’s Office Report and State Legislative Comments
The Governor’s representative distributed the Governor’s May newsletter and encouraged residents and board members to submit comments on passed legislation through the Governor’s website as bills await final action following the close of session. In response to a question, the representative agreed to ask the Department of Health why its sewage spill notices often leave blank the sections indicating whether signs were posted and where they were placed. Another exchange addressed state and military land issues, especially the valuation of lands subject to military lease discussions. A resident asked whether the Governor could obtain a broker’s opinion of value or highest-and-best-use analysis before any lease or condemnation discussions move forward. Senator Chris Lee responded that the immediate issue involves the Pohakuloa training area on Hawaiʻi Island, which is conservation land, making conventional real estate valuation more complicated and likely much lower than the land’s cultural and public value. He explained that, for now, any federal condemnation would require congressional approval under current federal law and that the Army must still go through the state Department of Land and Natural Resources process. Another board member used the governor’s report period to criticize poor road conditions statewide and to oppose any tourist-management proposals that would reduce local access to places like the Lanikai Pillbox trail. The board chair also asked about the long-delayed activation of two new traffic signals on Kailua Road near 7-Eleven and a nearby nursery. The Governor’s representative said one of the newly installed poles had been struck by a vehicle and later weather delays pushed the project back beyond its original February target, and promised to seek an updated timeline.
Councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina’s Budget, Parks, Public Safety, and Roadwork Updates
Councilmember Kiaʻāina reported several budget and infrastructure items. She said she had secured an additional $2 million for the city’s grants-in-aid program, enough to support 16 more nonprofit organizations, and obtained $240,000 to recruit 20 engineers to help reduce the backlog at the Department of Planning and Permitting, which she said is now constrained more by staffing shortages than by technology. In Kailua, she announced that improvements to outdoor fencing are underway at Kailua District Park and Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park, with work expected to be completed by the end of May and daytime park closures until 3 p.m. during construction. She also said city funds were being used to paint the gym, recreation building, and pool office at Kailua District Park. The model airfield on Kapaʻa Quarry Road is also slated for improvements. She reminded residents about changes associated with the North Kalaheo Avenue bridge rehabilitation project beginning May 11, including Kailua-bound lane closures, and directed people to her social media pages for detailed traffic information. On wildfire preparedness, she reported that the city’s Public Safety Committee recently reviewed wildfire mitigation strategy and noted that the Windward side still lacks a community wildfire protection plan. She said she wants to work with interested residents and emergency preparedness advocates to organize a town hall and pursue Firewise Community participation, while also calling for large landowners such as Kamehameha Schools to be part of coordinated mitigation efforts.
State Legislative Session Highlights from Senator Chris Lee
Senator Chris Lee used his report to summarize several major end-of-session accomplishments, with the legislative session ending the next day. He highlighted a bill to cancel approximately $91 million in unpaid medical debt affecting 50,000 Hawaiʻi families using $500,000 in state funding, describing it as one of the strongest returns on investment he has seen because of the relief it would provide to families burdened by catastrophic health costs. He also described a state-funded independent analysis of energy pathways intended to identify the cheapest and most effective ways to reduce electricity costs while continuing the clean energy transition, noting that different choices could mean billions of dollars in long-term costs to residents. Another bill he introduced would help create mechanisms similar to business improvement districts so communities like Kailua could support local maintenance, cleaning, safety presence, and other coordinated town improvements. He also pointed to legislation prompted by tree-cutting at Keolu Elementary School that now creates criminal penalties for vandalizing and cutting down trees on public land. Finally, he described a conservation bill establishing the groundwork for predator-free sanctuaries to help endangered native birds recover, modeled on highly successful efforts in New Zealand. These updates reflected the legislature’s attempt to address both immediate cost-of-living pressures and longer-term environmental and community resilience issues.
Representative Mike Lee’s Session Recap and Community Events
A staff representative for Representative Mike Lee thanked Kailua residents for participating in the legislative process and highlighted several bills associated with his office. These included HB 2137, which creates safeguards against artificial intelligence systems generating fake images of real people, HB 2021 addressing e-bike and pedestrian safety through age limits, helmet requirements, and operating restrictions, and HB 1973 expanding in-home healthcare and support services for approximately 25,000 elderly individuals in Hawaiʻi. The office said a more detailed session recap would be included in an upcoming newsletter. The report also promoted upcoming Kailua community events, including a May 30 sidewalk sale in Kailua Town Center and the June 7 I Love Hula event at 2 p.m.
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole on Budget Cuts, Tax Relief, and Campaign Finance Reform
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole introduced a Kailua resident interning in his office and then summarized major legislative developments. He said the state faced a need to cut roughly $1.8 billion from a $20 billion budget, amounting to about a 10 percent reduction overall, because of economic stagnation and uncertainty. He reported that the Senate’s top budget priority was preserving the income tax cuts enacted two years earlier, and that for joint filers earning $350,000 or less, nearly all of those tax reductions were preserved. He said the budget gap was addressed largely by cutting various tax credits, eliminating vacant positions, and drawing down excess special funds. Senator Keohokalole also singled out Senate Bill 2471, a campaign finance and corporate political spending measure he urged board members and residents to ask the Governor to sign. He said the bill would reverse the practical effects of Citizens United in Hawaiʻi by reaffirming that corporations are creations of state law rather than natural persons with identical speech rights and by preventing corporations from using shell entities to hide political spending in elections. Individuals would still be free to donate, establish super PACs, and spend money on political activity, but corporate anonymity in campaign spending would be curtailed. He described the measure as the first of its kind in the country if enacted and argued that it addresses a broad public dissatisfaction with unlimited, opaque corporate influence in politics.
Community Preparedness, Parade Participation, and Other Board Actions
Late in the meeting, the board approved participation in the 77th Annual Kailua Fourth of July Parade and requested Neighborhood Commission Office funding for the $155 application fee. The motion passed unanimously, 12-0-0. The board also unanimously supported participating in the annual Kailua Emergency Preparedness Fair at Kailua Town Center on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon. These actions aligned with broader themes from the evening, including community visibility, emergency readiness, and neighborhood engagement. The board approved its April 2 regular meeting minutes without changes, accepted committee reports as published, reminded committee chairs that June agendas are due by May 24, and adjourned at 9:56 p.m.