A large care home wants to move into a tiny neighborhood. Residents aren’t happy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Residents along Kaneohe Bay are raising alarms about a planned care home that they say looks like a monster home.

But the developer says it’s a mischaracterization — and that he scaled down the project to meet community opposition.

The home at 44-667 Kaneohe Bay Dr. is sandwiched between two cul-de-sacs where children can still play and seniors take leisurely strolls.

Developer Jacob Chan wants to knock down the structure to make way for a 24-bed senior care home.

He calls it Hale Mahinui, but neighbors say it’s just another monster home that’s going to cause more traffic congestion, tax the infrastructure and take away much-needed street parking.

“This really does change the fabric of the neighborhood, the average home size is barely 2,000 square feet, and they want to wedge a 12,000-square-foot facility in the middle of this tiny, little neighborhood,” said area resident Dana Villanova.

Added neighbor Jessica Smith: “Our neighborhood has four neighbors that this monster home will be abutting. So I think about their quality of life and how it will affect them.”

“The ambulances, police officers coming to the neighborhood at all times of the day.”

The Department of Planning and Permitting has issued a conditional use permit for the facility but the neighbors have filed appeals with the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Residents said that if they do not get a favorable ruling from the zoning board, they’ll go to court to block the project.

The city said the project complies with land use ordinances and that if the developer doesn’t follow the permit requirements, it could halt all operations until the conditions are met.

Chan said it’s wrong to characterize the project as a monster home. He said he downsized the project from a three story complex to a two story building to address the community complaints.

As a former emergency medical technician who comes from a family of medical professionals and first-responders, Chan said he’s seen first hand the need for senior care homes in Hawaii.

“There’s too much at stake because the community needs adult residential care homes. ... The line is a year-and-a-half long,” he said in a telephone interview with Hawaii News Now.

The Zoning Board of Appeals will begin hearings in July.

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