A Brigham Young University–Hawaii groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its future multi-use building on Saturday Dec. 17 marked the beginning stages of construction for the renovation and growth of the BYU–Hawaii campus.

Plans call for 11 new buildings, including the multi-use building, two married student apartment buildings, seven single-student dormitories that will replace existing on-campus dorms, and one single-student apartment building. The apartment building will offer an additional option for on-campus living.

Doug Chin, managing director for the City and County of Honolulu, spoke at the groundbreaking about both the economic and cultural importance of BYU–Hawaii to the community. “We know this is a time when there are many concerns about the economy and jobs,” he said. “When we look at BYU–Hawaii and we realize it employs 400 full-time people as well as several hundred part-time people, we realize what a valuable contribution it makes to the community. We are very excited to be able to see this multi-purpose building being built because it represents a further expansion, more jobs and it represents a commitment to the community.”

Highlights of Chin’s remarks can be watched in the video posted with this story.

Speaking on behalf of the University’s Board of Trustees was Elder Jeffery R. Holland from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Education is expensive,” he said. “It’s very expensive. But it is not nearly as expensive as ignorance.” Elder Holland also spoke about Laie’s early history as a gathering place for Polynesian Mormons and how it is now the most internationally diverse university in the United States.

And when speaking about the importance of gathering and diversity, Chin said, “All of us know how special Oahu is and that it’s a gathering place. It’s a wonderful location for people from all over the world to come and that is something we see with the diversity of BYU–Hawaii.”

The 41,000-square-foot multi-use building is expected to be an 18-month project. When finished, it will house the College of Business, Computing and Government and be used for Church meetings on Sunday.  The two-story building will include chapels, faculty and ecclesiastical offices, and a mixture of technology-enhanced classrooms.

Using shovels and the traditional Hawaiian o’o crafted by local master carver Tuione Polotu, leaders from Laie, Honolulu and the University broke ground during the event. These leaders included Auntie Gladys Pualoa-Ahuna, a kupuna whose family ties to Laie pre-date Western contact; BYU–Hawaii President Steven Wheelwright; Vice President of Academics Max Checketts; Dean Glade Tew from the College of Business, Computing and Government; Elder Paul V. Johnson, Commissioner of the Church Education System and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy; BYU–Hawaii Third Stake President Phillip McArthur; Managing Director Doug Chin from the City and County of Honolulu; and Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The growth of BYU–Hawaii is the primary reason why the Envision Laie planning process was launched within the Koolau Loa community three years ago. Envision Laie is about planning a future that protects the quality of life and emphasizes the values of the people who live in Koolau Loa. The process has included a number of public workshops, surveys and other meetings. In fact, growing BYU–Hawaii 5 to 6 percent per year is supported by 71 percent of Koolau Loa residents. Envision Laie not only includes plans for the University to become more sustainable, but also affordable housing in Malaekahana.

You can read news on the Polynesian Cultural Center’s newly renovated and re-envisioned Gateway restaurant in our latest Envision Laie Newsletter. Redesigned to evoke the feel of a Samoan fale with wooden pillars and angular sweeping roof, the restaurant is adorned with shell torches providing ambient lighting and features one of the world’s largest murals — extending nearly 8,000 square feet and taking guests on a visual journey through the many cultures of Polynesia.

As reported in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser earlier this year, this is part of “a $38 million, five-year plan to refresh the Polynesian Cultural Center.”

This five-year plan…is “the first step in a multistep growth plan to help us get back over the million-visitor mark.” The center logged 1.25 million visitors in 1979, when there were no direct mainland-to-neighbor island flights and Oahu attractions’ visitor counts were high.

The renovated facility now has an expanded capacity of 24,400 square feet within the 27,000-square-foot building. The restaurants will serve authentic foods representing the center’s six island villages and from islands throughout the Pacific. Diners will eat amid ambience enhanced by “$3 million to $4 million worth of ‘wow’ factor,” including 25-foot-high murals depicting Hawaiian life and people arriving in Hawaii.

The Laie Inn, which the new hotel will replace, was built in 1964 and torn down in late 2009. The rebuilding of the hotel will be facilitated by Hawaii Reserves Inc. (HRI), which oversees Hawaii properties for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Many Laie residents joined in today’s testimony to say they are happy to have a new facility that will serve their current needs and provide further employment throughout the community. About 2/3 of the participants spoke in favor, and applauded the final passage.

“I see the need. I see the benefit to families and students. As a small business owner, I see the opportunities,” said a longtime Laie resident and businessman.

Honolulu City Council Chair Ernest Martin, who represents District 2, and several other council members said the standards for the SMA were fairly high in this application and complemented everyone, the city, HRI, and particularly the community for working long and hard on this project.

“The replacement hotel will provide reasonable accommodations for those enjoying the Polynesian Cultural Center and visiting friends and family in the region,” said Eric Beaver, HRI president and chairman. “It’s a reasonable solution that balances moderate job growth for residents with maintaining Laie’s unique, local environment.”

The replacement Laie Hotel in the Koolauloa region of Oahu, has island-wide support. Seventy percent of Oahu residents favor the building of the new hotel, with positive reaction in the Koolauloa region even higher at 72 percent, according to recent market research.*

The construction phase will bring in 150 jobs, with more than $2.5 million in wages. After completion, the 220-room hotel is estimated to provide about 125 jobs on site, both regular and part-time, with guest expenditures anticipated at $28 million annually.

The plan is for the hotel to provide training opportunities for students enrolled in Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s hospitality and tourism program. Its contemporary Hawaiian design will complement nearby Polynesian Cultural Center and the local community.

Already zoned for resort development, the new, moderately sized hotel will incorporate substantial setbacks. Its height will meet the under roof 40 foot height limitation. The hotel will be located across the street from the beach, leaving views toward the ocean undisturbed from the main highway.

Environmental, cultural and economic impact studies were completed in 2007 as part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the property. The City’s Department of Planning & Permitting, which issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)” in July 2008, accepted the EA.

The new hotel’s underground storm water containment system will decrease site run-off by about 10 percent. The watershed and drainage studies, mandated as special conditions by the City Council, will help address the community’s most problematic drainage challenges during heavy rain events.

The purpose of the SMA review is to ensure the project is consistent with SMA coastal zone objectives, including access to and preservation of coastal resources and the environment. With today’s vote, the city Department of Planning and Permitting and City Council affirm that the impact on the coastal environment will not be significant.

* Market Research conducted by Heart + Mind Strategies with field research by Ward Research.

After four previous public input meetings, including two City Council Zoning Committee meetings, and a full Honolulu City Council hearing last month, the council will hold what many expect will be the final hearing on a permit application for the Laie hotel. If approved, the hotel project should finally be able to move forward towards groundbreaking.

The meeting is set for this Friday, September 16th, 10 a.m. in the City Council Chamber at Honolulu Hale. Even if you don’t testify, your attendance in support is important and makes a difference. Opposing voices have been working hard to prevent opportunities for needed growth and jobs, and will be at the hearing to voice their opinions.

Although the site is already zoned for hotel and business use, a Special Management Area permit is needed due to the site’s proximity to the shoreline. The goal is to have the hotel open for the PCC’s 50th Anniversary in 2013. For more info on the hotel and SMA permit application, please see our February 18, 2011 post.

To see the City Council agenda for the September 16th hearing, please click here.  To submit written testimony, please go to: http://www.honolulu.gov/council/emailccl.htm

Our collective support is critical to our community’s future.

To follow-up on the KHON story yesterday, the The Star-Advertiser ran a story today on the City Council vote Wednesday Aug. 17 on the Laie Hotel Redevelopment.

The City Council on Wednesday will consider plans to build a hotel on the site of the old Laie Inn that represent a skirmish over a much larger project that continues to divide Laie. The issue before the Council is whether to grant a special management area permit to allow construction of a 223-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel next to the Polynesian Cultural Center where the 49-unit Laie Inn used to sit. The inn was torn down in 2009.

In The Star-Advertiser, officials “say the hotel will create 125 jobs and reduce the need for visitors to travel back and forth to the Turtle Bay Resort and as far away as Waikiki for lodging.”

If the SMA permit is granted, building permits for the hotel can be obtained, with groundbreaking anticipated at the end of this year. The goal is to have the hotel open for the Polynesian Cultural Center’s 50th Anniversary in 2013.

The redevelopment plan is for a 222-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. The construction phase is expected to generate 150 jobs with $2.5 million in wages. When completed, the hotel will provide approximately 125 jobs on site.

The 48-room, aged Laie Inn was 46 years old when it was demolished in late 2009.

Group 70 is the architect for the new hotel.

“For the past year we’ve suffered along with our neighbors, packing friends and relatives into our homes when they come to visit. We all look forward to the relief of having affordable accommodations in our community again,” said R. Eric Beaver, Hawaii Reserves, Inc. president. “The replacement hotel will benefit those enjoying the Polynesian Cultural Center and visiting our community. The entire region will benefit from reinstating this important economic driver in Koolau Loa.”

It’s also important to note that a survey shows that there is support island wide for the replacement hotel; 70 percent of Oahu residents surveyed favor building the new hotel. Sentiment in the Ko‘olau Loa region is even higher at 72 percent. The survey was conducted by nationally recognized Heart+Mind Strategies in partnership with Honolulu-based Ward Research between December 8 and 17, 2010 for Envision Laie. A total of 832 Oahu residents, including 157 residents from the Koolau Loa District were polled.

The SMA “set” submitted to the City can also be downloaded on our web site.

Are you in favor?

If so, your support is needed.

After three previous public input meetings, including two City Council Zoning Committee meetings, the full Honolulu City Council will hold a hearing on a permit application for the Laie hotel. If approved, the hotel project should finally be able to move forward towards groundbreaking.Even if you don’t testify, your attendance in support is important and makes a difference. The meeting is set for next Wednesday, August 17th, 10 a.m. in the City Council Chamber at Honolulu Hale.

Although the site is already zoned for hotel and business use, a Special Management Area permit is needed due to the site’s proximity to the shoreline. The goal is to have the hotel open for the PCC’s 50th Anniversary in 2013!

For more info on the hotel and SMA permit application, please see our February 17, 2011 newsletter available in the Newsletter Archive at www.envisionlaie.com.

To see the City Council agenda for the August 17th hearing, please go to: http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-115890/081711%20Council%20Agenda.htm

To submit written testimony, please go to: http://www.honolulu.gov/council/emailccl.htm

Lā‘ie Shopping Center‘s 15th annual Summer Bash today marks the one-year anniversary of Envision Lā‘ie’s Information Center. An estimated 800 people have visited the center over the year to learn about proposed and current projects in the region, such as BYU-Hawaii’s planned Multi-Purpose Building seen above.

Updated renderings and information about progress in the region are being installed for Summer Bash. Summer Bash is a free family event sponsored by area businesses. Entertainment, amusement rides and games draw several hundred residents each year.

The Envision Lā‘ie Information Center opened at last year’s Summer Bash. Since then, the center has showcased the area’s rich history, public input regarding the potential for the region, and conceptual renderings for proposed improvements and projects in Lā‘ie.

Community members from Ko‘olau Loa and outside the region have participated in tours of the center and question and answer sessions with stakeholders.

“The questions we get at the Envision Lā‘ie Information Center are all over the map,” said Pane Meatoga, president of the Lā‘ie Community Association. “And we want folks to keep them coming as we start to see the fruits of the Envision Lā‘ie process. The purpose is to share information and get everyone’s perspective on our shared future.”

“The information center grew out of the many community meetings, and is a constant reminder of the Envision Lā‘ie process and an on-going open invitation to our community members to continue their involvement,” said R. Eric Beaver, president of Hawaii Reserves, Inc. “It’s another way of keeping steady and open communication with the community.”

Sixty-two land use planning maps, produced by approximately 600 area residents as part of the Envision Lā‘ie process, are on view along with videos that highlight topics of community concern.

Below is list of renderings and information included in the project updates display:

• BYU-Hawaii Phase 1: Campus map including new buildings, new multi-use building floor plan, apartment/suite natural ventilation plan, renderings of new dormitory, apartment, and multi-use buildings
• Polynesian Cultural Center Phase 1: Renderings of “Hawaiian Journey” experience, new Marketplace, Gateway Restaurant torch and light fixtures
• Courtyard by Marriott Hotel: Schematic landscape plan, renderings and sketches of hotel and room layouts
• Drainage information: Diversion road plan, Laieloa (Foodland) Bridge pictures, Laieloa Bridge outfall capacity picture, Lā‘ie drainage timeline

Envision Lā‘ie represents a diverse group of residents and stakeholders of Ko‘olau Loa working together to study Lā‘ie and plan for its future possibilities, a future that protects quality of life and emphasizes the values of the people who live in the region.

Every year our community enjoys “Laie Days,” a month-long, community commemoration and celebration. As part of Laie Days, the Laie Shopping Center is hosting its 15th annual Summer Bash on the evening of Friday, July 22, 2011. As always, the “bash” will feature great entertainment, ono food from local vendors, and free rides for the keiki! Come check out the updated Envision Laie Information Center for the latest on current projects and the possibilities for our future. While you’re there, enter for your chance to win prizes, including a new bike.

The DPP survey polls residents on a number of topics relevant to our communities, such as: where housing and growth should occur on Oahu, sustainability, the need for visitor services and accommodations island-wide, ways to improve the economy and affordable housing situation, etc.
The findings from the DPP survey will provide insight about issues being considered as part of the City’s effort to update the plan, and will also be used to focus discussion at the first community meeting for the project, to be held on Thursday, July 7, 2011. We’ll provide more detail on that meeting as the date approaches.

The anonymous survey is designed to take about 10 minutes and we encourage everyone to participate. Here’s the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RFVMYFZ.

Remember, your opinion matters and every voice counts!