Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, May 29, 2014
Aiea: More Condos, Fewer Traffic Lanes, and Toxic Waste
By News Release @ 3:24 AM :: 8006 Views :: Honolulu County, Environment, Development, Rail

Mayor Caldwell signs Live Work Play ‘Aiea development agreement

News Release from Office of the Mayor May 28, 2014

‘Aiea – Mayor Kirk Caldwell was joined today by Councilmembers Ikaika Anderson and Breene Harimoto, construction industry representatives, and community members at the site of the former Kamehameha Drive-In Theater to sign a development agreement with developer Robertson Property Group for Live Work Play ‘Aiea.

The $766 million, 14-acre project that will include up to 1,500 residential units in five towers will be the city’s first catalytic Transit Oriented Development project along the rail route.  Live Work Play ‘Aiea will be a mixed-use sustainable community that will incorporate residential units, offices, restaurants, retail shops, a neighborhood market, and public spaces to create an “Urban Village” where people will live, work, and play.

There will be increased public benefit by entering into a Development Agreement rather than a Unilateral Agreement.  In addition to making 30 percent of the total units affordable housing, options for lower-income rental housing will be created within the transit corridor.  A $1,000,000 community foundation endowment will go towards improvements to the area.  Kaonohi Street will have wider sidewalks, street trees, bike sharrows, and a bike line.  (ie less room for cars) Sustainability measures addressing low impact development design, connectivity, light pollution reduction, energy and water conservation, space for a farmers market, and others are being considered for the development.

Bill 68, which approved development zoning, was adopted by City Council and signed into law by Mayor Caldwell last month.  Grading and building permits must be applied for and approved prior to the beginning of construction.

-END-

  *   *   *   *   *

EPA selects City and County of Honolulu for a $400,000 Brownfields grant

Funding will revitalize communities by cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated sites

News Release from US EPA May 28, 2014

HONOLULU - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that the City and County of Honolulu will be one of 171 communities nationwide receiving brownfields funding to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

The FY14 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants will give communities and businesses a chance to return economic stability to under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods through the assessment and clean-up of abandoned industrial and commercial properties, places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

“Brownfields funding allows communities to innovate new ways to retrofit formerly polluted, unused sites for sustainable new uses,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The City and County of Honolulu will not only protect the environment and public health with the funding, but foster new job growth opportunities for its local communities.”

The City and County of Honolulu will be using its $400,000 brownfield hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds to conduct up to 12 Phase I and up to 10 Phase II environmental site assessments in support of the city’s Rail Transit project. Grant funds also will be used to develop an inventory and prioritize brownfield sites, and conduct community outreach and cleanup planning activities along the city’s rail transit oriented development zones.

A Phase I assessment determines the likelihood that some form of environmental contamination is present which includes a complete and thorough investigation on the history of a particular site. A Phase II assessment is a more comprehensive investigation that may include the collection of soil or groundwater samples to determine contamination conditions at the site.

A total of approximately $23.5 million is going to communities that have been impacted by plant closures. Other selected recipients include tribes and communities in 44 states across the country; and at least 50 of the grants are going to U.S. Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. EPA grant recipient communities.

Since the inception of the EPA’s Brownfields program in 1995, cumulative brownfield program investments have leveraged more than $21 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per EPA brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in approximately 93,000 jobs nationwide. These projects demonstrate the positive impact a small investment of federal brownfields funding can have on community revitalization through leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods. EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites.

More information on brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More information on EPA’s brownfields:

Program http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Success Stories http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

Benefits http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview/Brownfields-Benefits-postcard.pdf

###

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT