A&B just revealed their new plan for Manoa Marketplace. As you can see, they will install planters instead of a green strip. The project team marked off a 20’ by 32’ planter during the parking lot walk through that was big enough to contain the visible surface roots. The planters won’t all be that big, but they will contain the visible roots and allow for minimal cutting. The well-respected arborist Steve Nimz, known as one of Hawaii’s finest tree preservationists, showed us where he will trim the branches to stabilize the trees and encourage them to grow straighter and closer to their center of gravity. There will be less canopy until the roots reform, but in time we will have the same deep, cool shade we have now. And the trees will be able to breathe and drink freely in large planters. And here’s the finishing touch that really shows the company’s goodwill. The monkeypod tree in front of Longs needs to move because its roots will eventually block the key storm drain for the whole parking lot. Okay. Understood. But A&B will not just preserve the tree by moving it to the bank beside Manoa Stream. They will also plant another monkeypod on the bank, bringing the total number of monkeypods in Manoa Marketplace to 18! A&B will make their presentation at the Manoa Neighborhood Board meeting at 7:10pm on Wed, Feb 7 at Noelani School right after the city monthly reports. This will give us an opportunity to comment and ask questions and celebrate the trees. Please stay tuned for future updates. We will keep you posted on future developments and show you photos of Manoa Marketplace when the project is done. We’d like to acknowledge the enormous contributions of The Outdoor Circle, Malama Manoa, Nancie Caraway and Neil Abercrombie. They played a critical role in protecting the trees and expressing our community values. Thank you A&B. And thank you everyone for your support. This was a joint effort on many levels and the bottom line is the trees are in good hands and the parking lot will be safe and comfortable for everyone.