WAIPAHU — About 100 people who live and work in the Waipahu region showed up last night to say what they think should be placed near two transit stations in the heart of town on Farrington Highway as part of the city's multibillion-dollar fixed guideway system.

Sitting in a muggy Waipahu Intermediate School cafeteria, they were encouraged by Mayor Mufi Hannemann to think big.

"At the end of the day, it has to be what you want," Hannemann said. "You know better than anybody else what you want to see in Waipahu. This is your wish list, this is what you want if you could have everything."

David Masaki, 43, a Pearl City resident who works for the Servco Pacific car dealership in Waipahu, said he wants the proposed transit station at the Mokuloa Street intersection to be friendly to the many senior citizens he sees riding TheBus each day.

"We have to make sure there are restrooms, better lighting and sidewalks," Masaki said. "And we have to make sure there are bike racks."

Sil Ulep, 64, a Kalihi resident who owns several Kunia Road apartment buildings, within a half-mile of the planned Leoku station, said he wants to see more commercial and residential and less industrial uses around the new transit center.

"We need more landscaping, we need more lighting," Ulep said.

Mark Tanji, 46, lives on Farrington Highway near Waipahu Intermediate and is worried about how a transit line is going to affect his property and that of his neighbors. While a supporter of rail, he said, he doesn't know if he or any of his neighbors will be displaced. Tanji said he likes the idea of development around the transit stations.

"I would like to see more eateries and businesses, as well as parks and recreation opportunities," he said.

Other suggestions at the meeting included more affordable housing, maintaining view planes, minimizing disruption to residents and businesses, improving local traffic and preserving the character of Waipahu.

Officials with the Department of Planning and Permitting and consultant Van Meter Williams Pollack said they will gather the ideas and incorporate them into a "transit-oriented development" plan for the region.

Legislation creating a special district would ensure specific guidelines are followed for development in the region, similar to district plans for other areas such as Waikiki. The Waipahu region is the first to go through the process. Other neighborhoods will follow.

Kauilani Ramos, 64, who works for the nonprofit Communities in Schools, said she's worried that not enough residents who live in the lower-rent regions of Waipahu were on hand to have their say. Many are her clients, she said. "What concerns me is the people of the Pupu areas will be affected," Ramos said. "I think they need to come ask questions."

Chuck Wheatley, 69, a Waipahu Tower resident, said he is skeptical of the process, noting that meetings should have been held to determine where the transit stations should be. Instead, he said, such decisions were made by the city in discussions with large-scale developers and landowners along the route.

"All we're doing is the manini stuff," he said. "We had no say on where the transit stations are going."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.