KANE'OHE — A possible town center near the Windward Mall and Kawa Street area is emerging as a major component in the Kane'ohe Town Plan, which is being developed with input from the community.

Under the new proposal, the center would be more pedestrian-friendly with a bus hub that brings residents to the area and cafes at Windward Mall that open to the outdoors.

It's a concept that has appeal for people like Linda Cravalho, who lives in Kailua but walks the mall for exercise, has her hair done next door, and shops at Longs on the other side of Kamehameha Highway. Outdoor cafes would have an inviting atmosphere, unlike Windward Mall as it is, Cravalho said.

"The one you have, it's like a jail where you have a square box and you only enter this way and you only exit this way," Cravalho said. But the cafes would convey the message "E komo mai — come, come. It's nice here. Come join us."

Consultant Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd. and the city Department of Planning and Permitting have been developing a town plan for 3 1/2 years with help from the community. They are hosting an informational meeting Saturday to discuss the plan and gather feedback from residents.

With the existing services, markets, shops, restaurants and theaters within walking distance of the site, Kawa Street is an ideal center — but the area is poorly linked, so few people view it as a town center, said Gene Yong, with Belt Collins Hawaii.

"We have found that it's extremely difficult to get from any of the crosswalks, bus stops or even sidewalks to any of the storefronts because there's no walkways," said Yong, project planner. "You always feel like you're at risk as a pedestrian walking through those areas."

Belt Collins is exploring ways to better connect the existing uses in the area so that senior citizens from retirement homes, for instance, could hop on a shuttle and spend a couple of hours in the area meeting friends over coffee, shopping or just strolling, Yong said. Right now, people use their cars even if they want to go across the street, he said.

One change that might bring people to the area is to open Windward Mall to Mehana Street, Yong said. The mall is enclosed and shut off to the outside, but if coffee shops, cafes and bread shops lined the Mehana side of the mall, it would be more inviting, Yong said.

Residents and business operators near Windward Mall seem to generally approve of a proposal to make the area a town center, but had some concerns.

Cravalho said the plan sounds good, but she would still need her car if she were shopping at Longs because she tends to make a lot of purchases there and she wouldn't want to carry them across Kamehameha Highway.

Katy Ching, office manager of Mountain View Community Church, said she would be concerned about the increased traffic because the parking is a problem in the small shopping center where she's located. "I'm for anything that would alleviate the congestion of the parking here," Ching said.

Business operators welcome more people coming to the area. Donna Ajimine, manager at the Love's Thrift Store, said the area is ideal because doctor's offices, banks, grocery stores, retailers and theaters are within a block of Kawa Street.

"It's not that far if you don't mind walking," Ajimine said. "It's convenient and you don't have to worry about parking."

Clarene Bailey, owner of Hair In Action, said the cafes would appeal to younger people.

Residents favor making Kawa Street a bus hub and having minibuses routed through the neighborhoods to bring people to the area, said Janis Chun, a member of the committee who is working with the consultant.

"The biggest problem in Kane'ohe at the moment is transportation," Chun said, adding that minibuses could pick up senior citizens stuck at home for a lack of accessible transportation.

The Kawa Street area was selected among five possible sites because it would be the least costly to develop and there are fewer people and businesses that would be disrupted there, Chun said.

As part of the contract, Belt Collins also studied all the streams in Kane'ohe and ways to link them with pathways to the various areas where people congregate, she said. The idea was to build pathways for bicycles and pedestrians that would get them off the streets, but that is something for the future, Chun said.

"They did a good study, and we should keep their study and do a little bit every year toward that goal," she said.

The study was part of a $220,000 contract to develop a town center plan and to conduct a regional traffic study.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.