Image from slide presentation on the Pahoa Library, Transit Hub project

(BIVN) – The members of the Puna Community Development Plan Acton Committee got an overview on the planned Pāhoa Library and Transit Hub, during a recent virtual meeting.

“What happened was: the library has also been looking to develop a new library in Pāhoa for some time, and so there was a discussion about combining the two into one site,” Melissa May, a planner with SSFM, the consultant group working on the project for the County of Hawaiʻi. “This supports transit-oriented development, which includes walkable communities and being able to reach community destinations within a short walk, or bike. And just support the livability in the area, in general.”

During her slide presentation, May said the goals of the project are “to support comfort and safety for transit riders, especially in the Puna District. We also want to make sure that the project supports and promotes other uses, such as walking and biking, and that it provides amenities in gathering spaces for the community, including the new library.”

Planners explained to the Puna CDP committee that after an initial evaluation, there were three sites that were identified as the most preferred. All are fairly close to the Puna Kai Shopping Center and all on the west side of Pāhoa Village Road.

The project has received $100,000 from State Transit-Oriented Development Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Planning funds and $350,000 from Hawaiʻi State Public Library System CIP funds to support the planning study for the co-located project.

The planners anticipate finishing up the Final Environmental Assessment for the project by the end of the year.

A public meeting on the project is set for Wednesday evening at the Pāhoa Neighborhood Facility, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A second meeting will be held in the summer of 2023.