THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	221
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO REVIEW, REVISE, AND UPDATE PLANS FOR the DANIEL K. INOUYE HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS, PRIORITIZE USER EXPERIENCES, ESTABLISH A HAWAII SENSE OF PLACE, INCORPORATE GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS, AND MODERNIZE HAWAII'S LARGEST AIRPORT.

 

 

        WHEREAS, in 2019, approximately ten million residents and visitors passed through the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport; and

 

        WHEREAS, Honolulu's largest airport serves as the very first gateway to the United States for countless travelers from East Asia and from around the Pacific Rim; and

 

        WHEREAS, the airport also serves as the first introduction to Hawaii for visitors who often expect to arrive in a Pacific island paradise; and

 

        WHEREAS, current infrastructure at the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport is a patchwork of different architectural styles and functional designs dating back to statehood; and

 

        WHEREAS, residents and visitors frequently comment on the airport's concrete terminals, claustrophobic bagging areas, dark curbside pickup areas, and unpleasant views of surrounding industrial areas; and

 

        WHEREAS, due to the patchwork construction of airport facilities over many years, navigating the airport experience, from its start at the freeway offramp to its culmination at the airline gate, is often unintuitive and disjointed; and

 

        WHEREAS, in spite of these challenges, the best parts of the airport experience, as commonly cited by residents and visitors, are the open-air atmosphere of certain portions of the airport and, above all, the open and lush gardens and vegetation in some areas that help to create a relaxed, Hawaii sense of place; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation has made significant efforts to begin improving the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport, including modernizing restrooms, constructing a new mauka concourse, consolidating rental car facilities, and beginning the process of planning a new Diamond Head terminal to add capacity; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation also recently undertook commendable emergency work to rapidly deploy plans and take action to screen passengers at the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation expects to commence billions of dollars in renovations and new projects at the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport once the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are resolved and the situation has sufficiently stabilized; and

 

        WHEREAS, until that time, there is an opportunity to reassess future airport plans and priorities to incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to address longstanding issues that have impacted resident and visitor experiences at the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Department of Transportation is requested to review, revise, and update plans for the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the update of airport plans should:

 

        (1)   Prepare to address future pandemics;

 

        (2)   Prioritize resident and visitor experiences;

 

        (3)   Establish a Hawaii sense of place that maximizes comfortable, open-air design and expands upon the lush gardens, palm trees, and vegetation commonly cited as the best part of the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport experience;

 

        (4)   Be of architectural significance and cultural relevance to Hawaii;

 

        (5)   Include expanded art exhibits, cultural references, and narrative storytelling;

 

        (6)   Incorporate modern, green building standards and address climate change considerations;

 

        (7)   Update and align airport sustainability goals with the sustainable development goals of Hawaii and the United Nations; and

 

        (8)   Address the airport as a whole, which may be done in phases, so as not to perpetuate disjointed planning and design; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to involve in the planning process:

 

        (1)   Experts having a history of architectural significance in the State;

 

        (2)   Experts having a history of significance in the State for landscape design;

 

        (3)   Experts having a history in green building standards and practices;

 

        (4)   Experts who are knowledgeable about incorporating educational programming into the planning and design process;

 

        (5)   The Chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation; and

 

        (6)   The Chair of the House Committee on Transportation; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport; Planning; Design