A planned combination bus hub and library for Pahoa is making progress toward possible completion in 2027.
The project — for which a draft environmental assessment was published Saturday — co-locates a pair of much-needed public developments on a site on Pahoa Village Road just south of the roundabout where it joins with the Pahoa Bypass Road.
The first component of the dual project is the Transit Hub, which would become the focal point of a planned “hub-and-spoke” public transportation network for Puna.
Through that transit model, which was outlined by the Hawaii County Mass Transit Agency’s Transit and Multimodal Transportation Master Plan in 2018, the hub will allow Puna residents to easily transfer between long bus routes from Hilo to Puna and smaller routes circulating throughout the district.
“Once we have the hub built, then we can build out the spokes,” said County Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz of Puna. “Then, we can start to have a functional mass transit system in Puna. Not to say it doesn’t function now, but we are a growing community.”
The second component is a new public library. Kierkiewicz said currently the closest public library for Pahoa residents is located at Pahoa High and Intermediate School, and is therefore subject to school hours, not to mention concerns about student safety.
Together, the two developments would sit upon a roughly 9.5-acre parcel between the Pahoa Marketplace and the Puna Kai Shopping Center. The draft EA lists three potential sites for the project — one immediately south of Puna Kai and the other further south still, at the corner of Pahoa Village Road and Apa‘a Street — but notes that the site between the two shopping areas is the preferred location based on community outreach.
Pahoa residents identified the site as their preference during a March 2023 community meeting, where they cited its location along Kahakai Boulevard as a means of keeping buses from congesting Pahoa Village Road further south. In addition to the library and bus hub, the project includes several possible additional amenities recommended by residents during that 2023 meeting, including a cultural gathering space, a day care and child play area, a community garden, and an area for food trucks. However, the project does not have a final design, and its final features have not been set in stone.
The draft EA anticipates no significant environmental impact will be caused by the project beyond short-term and temporary effects during construction.
According to the draft assessment, Mass Transit believes that it can begin construction of the project in 2025, after a final assessment is published in the latter half of this year, and the permitting process could be completed before year’s end. Construction is estimated to take two years.
Another public outreach period has begun, with people encouraged to send comments to Mass Transit by April 22. Comments should be sent to victor.kandle@hawaiicounty.gov and copied to jscheffel@ssfm.com.
With the draft assessment published, Kierkiewicz said now is the time for the County Council to lock down funding for the project’s construction, which was estimated in 2023 to be about $11 million. She said she intends to introduce a measure at the County Council to amend the county capital improvement budget to include funding for the project.
Mass Transit Administrator Victor Kandle did not respond to requests for comment.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.