The Honolulu City Committee on Zoning and Planning amended and reported Resolution 25-261 CD1 on Oct. 16 to extend the deadline for obtaining a development permit for previously approved special management area entitlements in Pupukea, Oahu. The extension sought by the applicant would move the deadline from Nov. 14, 2025, to Nov. 14, 2027.

The entitlement history reviewed by the chair shows repeated prior extensions: the original SMA was adopted by resolution in 2018, with multiple subsequent council-approved extensions that moved the development-permit deadline forward several times. The applicant asked for a further two-year extension while it negotiates with the city regarding sale of several parcels that may be acquired to develop a hub for first responders and ocean-safety operations.

Denise Antolini of the SafeSharks Cove Alliance testified in support of the acquisition process and urged urgency based on ocean-safety needs. “Just last weekend, there were 25 rescues in our area of ocean safety,” Antolini said, and she thanked the council, the mayor’s team and the landowner for engaging in negotiations in good faith.

Don Takeuchi Opuna, director of the Department of Planning and Permitting, told the committee the department supports the CD1 and that a two-year extension is reasonable because negotiations and subsequent due diligence and permitting could exceed one year. A deputy from the Department of Housing and Land Management (DHLM) said DHLM’s written testimony asked for at least a one-year extension and that DHLM was supportive of CD1; DHLM staff described appraisal and acquisition work as ongoing and said a minimum of one year is likely necessary for procurement and due diligence.

Councilmembers and public speakers debated whether a one-year extension would satisfy community concerns about urgency and whether two years would be unduly permissive. Councilmember Weier and others noted the council’s recent appropriation of $26 million for land acquisition tied to the North Shore ocean-safety station and said that the city’s appropriation and the existence of negotiations argue for giving the city flexibility to complete the purchase and associated work. Other members and community representatives said a shorter statutory clock would maintain momentum and community confidence.

After discussion the chair recommended, and the committee accepted, an amendment to the posted CD1 and reported the resolution out for adoption with a two-year extension as reflected in the department’s recommendation.

Clarifying details in the record: the SMA entitlement was originally adopted in 2018; the applicant’s requested extension would set the development-permit deadline to Nov. 14, 2027; the council has appropriated $26,000,000 in FY2026 executive capital budget for land acquisition in the area; DHLM described appraisal work underway and requested a one-year minimum in written testimony but indicated support for the CD1 in the committee proceeding.

The committee’s action was recorded as the chair’s recommendation accepted with no objections; a formal roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript excerpt.