IMPORTANT:  The donation request that pop-ups after you sign this petition DOES NOT go to petition organizers; it goes instead to Change.org (a for-profit company that hosts this petition).  

URGENT!  Please sign our petition to STOP “MANOA BANYAN COURT” DEVELOPMENT project. The proposed scope/scale is TOO BIG for our low-density residential neighborhood.  If we fail to stop it, this high-density development may forever alter the quiet peaceful low-density residential character of Manoa Valley.  JOIN US TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD TO the Trustees of LIN YEE CHUNG ASSOCIATION and to OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS (City Councilman Calvin Say, State Senator Carol Fukunaga, State Representative Andrew Garrett, etc.) and to the approving State/County Government Agencies (Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corporation, State Environmental Review Program, Honolulu City Council  Planning and Zoning Committee)  and ask them to hear your concerns and to please STOP this project.

WE ARE CONCERNED this high-density residential/commercial project will forever alter the quiet peaceful low-density residential character of the deep Manoa valley. This will set a bad precedent for future high-density development in low-density residential areas of Manoa Valley (and elsewhere).

WE ARE CONCERNED this massive development will have lasting environmental degradation to Manoa Valley residents:

• More traffic, light/noise pollution (and no available street parking) along East Manoa Road corridor and adjoining corridors such as Lower Road resulting from Manoa Banyan Court's up-to 576 tenants, workers, public/private service providers/suppliers, and commercial customers. 
• Risk of storm water flooding from large scale construction of impermeable surface area on Manoa Cemetery preservation land. 
• Deforestation and loss of green open space.  Manoa Cemetery is one of the last green open spaces in the valley.
• Degrade our overall quality of life in the deep valley during Manoa Banyan Court’s estimated 10 year construction phases, and long after construction is complete.

WE ARE CONCERNED regulations that may normally protect our Manoa environment and community well-being may be for naught as we understand that an approved 201H developer may be exempt from certain statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules of any governmental agency relating to planning, zoning, construction standards for subdivisions, development and improvement of land, and the construction of units, as well as potential exemption from Federal/State/City taxes on project-generated income/obligations.

WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THE DEVELOPER IS FAST-TRACKING THE MANOA BANYAN COURT PROJECT FOR 201H APPROVAL, UNDER-THE-RADAR OF THE BROADER MANOA COMMUNITY.  LYCA formally submitted its Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for its Manoa Banyan Court project to the City Dept of Planning/Permitting on 08 March 2022. We object to developer's failure to inform the broader Manoa Valley community about its large scale development plans (done behind closed doors with G70 and other professional consultants), failure to solicit inputs from Manoa residents, and failure to publicize its development plans through the major local news media. 

WE URGE LYCA TO HALT/PAUSE THE ONGOING REVIEW OF ITS DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION to create good-faith "breathing room", and sit down with the Manoa community and discuss  alternatives to address LYCA financial needs and Manoa community concerns.  Latest draft EA is posted here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jndQjviMgIIa2X9fz_Q-Ud4r_UgBRiyf/view

OVER 300 ATTENDEES HEARD OUR CONCERNS AT AN APRIL 2022 MANOA TOWN HALL MEETING.

MANOA NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD PASSED A RESOLUTION OPPOSING MANOA BANYAN COURT AS PROPOSED, and PASSED A SECOND RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE SECOND MBC DRAFT EA AND CALLING FOR A FULL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS).

OUTDOOR CIRCLE MANOA BRANCH CALLED FOR A FULL EIS FOR MANOA BANYAN COURT.

WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT KANEOHE COMPLAINTS ABOUT LYCA PRESIDENT, specifically complaints of LYCA President Charles Wong disregarding neighborhood concerns of large-scale un-permitted/un-authorized construction/ improvements at his Kaneohe residence.  Will Manoa Banyan Court be more of the same?    For details see: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/32287843/exclusive-city-fines-owner-of-kaneohe-bay-home-nearly-140k/   and

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2018/10/24/neighbors-odds-over-years-long-construction-kaneohe-mega-home/

and

https://www.environment-hawaii.org/?p=10594.

Charles Wong pursued obtaining an after-the-fact Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permit (https://honolulu.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=892&meta_id=72527) which his next-door neighbor (Mr. Hugh Okuda) and the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board requested be denied (https://kaneoheneighborhoodboard.blogspot.com/2018/12/opposing-special-management-area-use.html).

WE HAVE MOUNTING CONCERNS ABOUT LIN YEE CHUNG ASSOCIATION (LYCA):  http://stopmanoabanyancourt.weebly.com/blog/some-concerning-observations-of-lin-yee-chung-association-lyca

By working together, we can STOP Manoa Banyan Court and keep Manoa MANOA! 

For updates, please go to www.stopmanoabanyancourt.weebly.com

MAHALO!

 

Background:  Manoa Banyan Court is a proposed 288-unit senior affordable rental condo complex for up to 576 tenants (four huge 3-story concrete buildings, 185 parking stalls) on P-2 Preservation Zoned land at Manoa Chinese Cemetery, with adjoining development of the triangle parcel at the fork of East Manoa Rd/Old East Manoa Rd.  Developer is Lin Yee Chung Association (LYCA), a non-profit (eleemosynary 501C13) organization that manages Manoa Chinese Cemetery.  A slide presentation of the proposed Manoa Banyan Court development is available online: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14WpJrZazW_Ogy1rPuCB-ABQ_IayFXTYk/view

or

https://group70int.sharefile.com/share/view/s8903f5b61c3a419992638f7332ee8596

Lastly, an important note to STOP MANOA BANYAN COURT petition signers:  Please be advised:  The donation request that pop-ups after you sign this petition DOES NOT go to petition organizers; it goes instead to Change.org (a for-profit company that hosts this online petition).