By TOM CALLIS
By TOM CALLIS
Tribune-Herald staff writer
The Hawaii County Council approved zoning changes to accommodate a new shopping center in Pahoa, assuming that it does not open before road improvements are completed.
In two 9-0 votes Wednesday, the council approved changing zoning for the 9.93-acre property at 15-2714 Pahoa Village Road from agriculture to village commercial and urban.
Bryson’s Cinders currently occupies the property.
The council’s requirements, agreed to by applicant B.T. Kuwahara LLC, puts opening of the $20 million development dependent on the completion of the state Department of Transportation’s roundabout project nearby at Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road. The developer must also add a traffic signal at Kahakai Boulevard and Pahoa Village Road.
The DOT was most recently anticipating to begin construction of the roundabout in January but now is estimating work to begin in the spring. It is expected to take a year to complete.
Asked about the delay, a DOT spokeswoman said “environmental issues” at the site had contributed to the new timeframe. She was unable to elaborate.
Jon McElvaney, the development’s consultant, has said that road improvements for the project, including the new signal and extension of Kahakai Boulevard by 600 feet, will be coordinated with DOT to reduce impacts to traffic.
He could not be reached for additional comment Friday. The development will include a supermarket, medical and dental facilities, as well as restaurants and other retail.
Developers have estimated that 300 full-time jobs will be created at the center, expected to be complete in 2015.
The proposal received support from the Windward Planning Commission in August.
The design of the center will reflect Pahoa’s “rustic plantation style,” McElvaney has said, and it has received the support of the Pahoa Regional Town Center Steering Committee.
The development will also incorporate recycling of organic waste for fertilizer, bioswells and solar power, McElvaney has said.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.