Honolulu Planning Commission to hear Central YMCA zone-change request

The Honolulu Planning Commission is scheduled to hear testimony Wednesday, Aug. 5, on a request to change the zoning for the Central YMCA property at 401 Atkinson Drive in Waikiki. The commission may take formal action after the public hearing closes.

The request would change the approximately 1.77-acre property from AMX-3 high-density apartment mixed-use zoning to A-2 medium-density apartment zoning. It also seeks to reduce the site’s height limit from 350 feet to 150 feet.

What the YMCA is requesting

YMCA of Honolulu is listed as both the applicant and landowner. R.M. Towill Corporation is the agent for zone-change request 2026-ZCH-1.

The property currently includes Central YMCA recreational facilities, residential units, offices and storage. The application also asks the city to remove an existing project-specific unilateral agreement required by Ordinance 13-34.

According to the public-hearing notice, the YMCA says the existing unilateral-agreement conditions were created for a specific development concept, constrain other development options and have made it more difficult to sell the parcel or find a development partner. Those statements are the applicant’s rationale, not a city finding or an approved redevelopment plan.

A zoning request, not construction approval

If approved, the request would establish a different zoning and height framework for the property’s future use. It would not by itself authorize demolition, construction, a sale, a development partnership or tenant relocation.

Any future redevelopment proposal would require separate planning, permitting and other approvals. The commission’s action on the zone-change request would be the next concrete decision point for the parcel.

Hearing details

The hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5. It will be conducted remotely, with an in-person public meeting location at the Frank Fasi Municipal Building, 650 South King Street, on the sixth floor.

The public may submit written testimony by email, fax or mail, and testimony will still be accepted after the notice’s preferred advance-submission period. People wishing to provide oral testimony remotely were asked to register by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, although on-site oral-testimony registration is also available on the day of the hearing.

The commission will take action on the item after the public hearing is closed. That action could include conditions, and the hearing itself would not approve a redevelopment project.

What to watch next

Residents, nearby businesses and Central YMCA users should watch for the commission’s formal decision and any conditions attached to it. Subsequent planning, permitting or development filings would be needed to establish what, if anything, is proposed for the site.

Earlier neighborhood-board records provide background on the property’s address, size and zoning history. Prior local reporting also described the Central YMCA’s residential units. Those materials do not determine the commission’s Aug. 5 action or establish current tenant impacts.

Sources

• Central YMCA Zone Change Request 2026-ZCH-1 public hearing notice
• Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting events page