Manoa Marketplace Monkeypod Trees Saved!

Written by Lowell Angell and Neil Bond,
Members, Board of Directors, Malama Manoa

The Manoa community and countless others on Oahu breathed a collective sigh of relief when Alexander & Baldwin announced on January 26, 2018 that they would retain all 17 mature monkeypod trees at Manoa Marketplace. They had planned to remove 7 trees and relocate 2 more because the surface roots were creating a tripping hazard and they also wanted more room for parking. A&B, a kamaaina firm founded in 1869, purchased the Marketplace in 2016.

A view of the Monkeypod trees at Manoa Marketplace. Photo credit: Malama Manoa.

After witnessing the strong reaction to their initial presentation at the Manoa Neighborhood Board meeting on December 6, 2017, the A&B Project Team agreed to delay the project and solicit community input. The Outdoor Circle played a large role and helped widely publicize the situation, Neil Bond and the Manoa Alliance created an online petition which resulted in almost 20,000 signatures including 10,000 from Hawai`i, and Malama Manoa’s board of directors voted unanimously against removal of any trees. Together with these organizations, many concerned residents joined in a cooperative community effort to find a way to save the 40-year old trees. This included multiple meetings with A&B representatives.

After exploring several alternatives, A&B decided to place large planters around the trees between Safeway and Longs. One monkeypod tree fronting Longs Drugs is obstructing a storm drain and will be moved to the grassy area along Manoa stream. A White Tecoma tree will replace it. A companion monkeypod tree will be planted along the stream bank, bringing the total number of Marketplace monkeypods to 18. The trees will then be carefully pruned for optimum balance and growth and the parking lot will be restriped, with more parking spaces added.

The Manoa Neighborhood Board, The Outdoor Circle, Malama Manoa, Manoa Alliance, the area’s elected officials and the many people who attended the neighborhood board meetings or signed the petition are sincerely grateful to the Marketplace Project Team and A&B President and CEO Christopher Benjamin for their willingness to work with the community and find a mutually beneficial solution that preserves these beautiful trees for generations to come.