More than a year after officials scrapped a controversial plan to redevelop Kaka'ako with high-rises and shops, the advisory council formed in the wake of the failed proposal has taken its first steps toward compiling recommendations for the best use of public waterfront land in the community.

Still, its report likely will take another year to complete.

Some familiar with the situation say the number of interest groups involved in the process is partly to blame for the slow pace of decision-making: At least 45 participants representing different groups — from surfers to artists to environmentalists — are members of the council, which took shape in April.

After struggling for six months on organizational issues, the group members agreed last week on how they would vote, represent themselves before state boards and to the public, and determine membership.

The decisions allow the council to finally start envisioning the future of Kaka'ako Makai, whose prime location and bounty of public land present a host of cultural, civic and economic opportunities.

"We now feel we're off the launching pad," said Michelle Matson, a member of the advisory council. "It's a really neat group. I have great hope."

While the council is kicking off its work, the state agency given the task of managing public land in the area is overseeing big changes that will alter the face of Kaka'ako Makai over the next several years, including clearing the Honolulu Marine shipyard from a 2.5-acre parcel near Kewalo Basin and negotiating leases with several large institutions moving into the area.

Already, Kaka'ako Makai has seen big changes in recent years.

Along with the entrance of the John A. Burns School of Medicine in 2004 and several condominiums nearby more recently, the state has worked to improve infrastructure in the area, repaving and extending streets, revamping street signs and adding parking.

The council will have the responsibility of incorporating already-slated projects for Kaka'ako Makai, including a state-of-the-art facility for the Cancer Research Center and the new Office of Hawaiian Affairs headquarters — along with their infrastructure needs — into an overall vision for the area, which encompasses about 220 acres and spans from the 'ewa end of Kewalo Basin to the start of Honolulu Harbor.

The state owns the bulk of the property in Kaka'ako Makai, but other landowners include Kamehameha Schools, which has about 12 acres, and Hawaiian Electric Co.

Though the council is only advisory, its recommendations to the Hawai'i Community Development Authority board are likely to carry serious weight. Members say their biggest challenge will be to attract the public to a community long blighted with industrial uses, poor infrastructure and a bad reputation.

And they warn change won't come overnight.

"When you are involved with public lands, it does take a long time," said member Marilyn Cristofori, chief executive officer of the Hawai'i Arts Alliance, which is representing groups interested in building a performing arts center in Kaka'ako Makai.

Cristofori said the divergent interests represented in the advisory committee are "complementary," and she sees members working together.

"We're hopeful we might be the ones that are able to set things to motion," she added, "but we might not be alive when it comes to be."

The council was formed after HCDA scrapped its controversial redevelopment plan spearheaded by Alexander & Baldwin Inc., which proposed to build two high-rises in the community, along with retail spaces, an amphitheater and walking areas. HCDA created the council to skirt a repeat of the foiled A&B proposal, which spurred a community outcry and had some lawmakers calling for the dismantling of the authority.

Originally, HCDA wanted to limit the council to about 15 people, who would seek comments from the community. But a call for council members attracted a much larger group.

Some council members say they have been frustrated with the pace of meetings. And the HCDA board also expressed concern over discussions.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, HCDA director of planning and development Deepak Neupane told members that the board is "generally supportive" of the council, but urged it to move faster.

There have been six meetings "and this group hasn't been able to get organized," Neupane told the council, whose members generally agreed talks needed to speed up. "The board wants this group to speak as one voice."

The council gathers once a month. Neupane said with the A&B plan scrapped, HCDA is "back at square one" and waiting for recommendations on "what the next step should be" in Kaka'ako Makai.

But Frank Mento, a member of the council, said the difficulty in organizing the council stems from a lack of direction — the members are unsure exactly what HCDA wants from them, and how they want it.

"It was very open-ended," he said, adding that HCDA needs to spell out how much authority the advisory group has in the final plan for Kaka'ako Makai.

Mike Goshi, chairman of the HCDA board, was out of town and unavailable for comment. But Neopane said the council is responsible for submitting recommendations and "guiding principles" for redevelopment in Kaka'ako Makai. It is not clear what the council will do once those are in.

But even as the council discusses proposals for the area, several large institutions will be moving in or planning their move-ins along the waterfront. The projects will change the landscape of Kaka'ako Makai and bring hundreds more people into the quickly growing community daily.

As early as summer 2008, construction on the Cancer Research Center, planned for a 5.5-acre lot next to the School of Medicine, is expected to start. Meanwhile, Kamehameha Schools plans to begin work on an Asia-Pacific research center adjacent to the medical school in late 2008, Neupane said.

And by early 2009, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs hopes to kick off construction of its new headquarters and community center. It will sit where the Next Step homeless shelter, housed in a warehouse, is now.

In addition to weaving those projects into their redevelopment plans, the council will have to determine how the Honolulu Marine Shipyard parcel would best be used. Neupane said Honolulu Marine was asked to clear the parcel because it is inconsistent with the Kaka'ako Makai area plan, which was issued in 2005 and outlines general land use guidelines.

The plan also make suggestions for bike paths and public park space.

Neupane said it is unclear when Honolulu Marine will leave Kaka'ako.

The company, whose lease in Kaka'ako expires in 2021, is seeking comments on a draft environmental assessment for the construction of a new facility in Ke'ehi Lagoon Small Boat Harbor, which is expected to be completed in early 2009. A Honolulu Marine representative did not return calls.

The council will also have another parcel to think about soon. HCDA plans to demolish the former University of Hawai'i Marine Mammal Lab early next year. The site, which used to hold dolphins, is seen as strategic to the area because it links Kewalo Basin Park and Ala Moana Beach Park.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.