Many Mānoa residents are aware of the proposed Mānoa Banyan Court project by the non-profit Lin Yee Chung Association (LYCA), which owns and operates Mānoa Chinese Cemetery. It calls for 288 units of affordable rental senior housing on eight acres of preservation-zoned land along East Mānoa Road near the cemetery. LYCA has stated it needs additional sources of funding to allow it to continue to operate.
The proposal has already created much fervent discussion among the Mānoa community, both pro and con, including many concerns and questions, at three Mānoa Neighborhood Board meetings. Various stakeholders have agreed to an in-person Mānoa Town Hall meeting on Saturday, April 30, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the old gymnasium in Mānoa Valley District Park. The event has been organized by Mānoa Outdoor Circle, Mālama Mānoa, and City Councilmember Calvin Say.
All Mānoa residents are urged to attend this important public meeting.
On March 4, LYCA submitted a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) with a request for a determination of a “finding of no significant impact” for the elderly housing units, a community garden and a community center.
DPP’s response letter of March 28, states it has determined that the “Draft EA is incomplete and that additional information is required…to enable DPP to determine whether the Draft EA may be published, and to allow for meaningful public review of the document.”
The detailed response letter continues with eight points needing further analyses, including impacts to neighborhood character, visual impacts, flooding and stormwater management and drainage, impervious surface area concerns, noise and traffic impacts, and complete age and income requirements. The letter also suggests LYCA consider separate alternatives to fundraising which comply with the current zoning.
The four-page DPP letter concludes with, “The assessment may be resubmitted when it is complete. If the additional analysis reveals potential significant impacts, the document should be resubmitted as an environmental impact statement preparation notice.”
Although many of the stated areas in the DPP response are technical in nature, residents are encouraged to attend the Town Hall meeting and express their specific concerns about the project.
