LA'IE — The Ko'olauloa Neighborhood Board last night voted 7-4 to endorse a plan by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to develop a 1,200-home community in Malaekahana.

The vote came at the end of the 3 1/2-hour community meeting attended by an estimated 300 people at La'ie Elementary School. Forty-seven people testified, expressing their support or caution about a plan that would double the size of La'ie.

More people spoke in favor of the plan than against it.

The neighborhood board vote is of advisory nature only, and the Mormon Church would need to obtain land-use approvals from the state and county before moving forward.

Last night, some people said they welcome the prospect of more homes and job opportunities in the area, while others worried about traffic, congestion and other potential effects to their rural lifestyle.

Many of the supporters wore gold T-shirts expressing support. Some called it an answer to their prayers for more jobs closer to home and more housing so their children could remain in the community.

Kealii Haverly, a Hau'ula resident, said the plan is an opportunity for local people to own homes. Too often homes go to nonresidents, he said, but the plan would be set up to keep the homes affordable.

"This opportunity can be the template for the future of O'ahu," Haverly said.

Kahuku resident Kevin Kelly called it "more of the same — a bigger PCC, a bigger BYU, a bigger demand for affordable housing, fewer good jobs."

Kelly asked the neighborhood board to send the plan back to the planners to create a real vision of opportunity for the area.

Envision La'ie, a collaborative effort by some Ko'olauloa residents and three affiliates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presented the plan at last night's meeting. In addition to homes, the plan includes a shopping center, churches, parks and light industrial complex.

Brigham Young University-Hawai'i officials said that for the university to remain viable and sustainable, it must expand. They laid out a plan that they said could support 5 percent to 7 percent growth annually.

"BYU is in an unsustainable situation," said Eric Beaver, president and CEO of Hawaii Reserves Inc., in an interview. HRI manages and owns land affiliated with the Mormon Church.

Neighborhood board members agreed on the need for affordable housing. Some called for more scrutiny of the plan, while others said now is the time to act.

Board member DeeDee Letts said HRI had an opportunity to build affordable housing and the community supported zone changes 20 years ago, but no affordable homes were built.

"My concern is this is another attempt to change zoning and not meet the needs of the community," Letts said.

Board member Les Steward, who works for Polynesian Cultural Center, said there will be many more opportunities to address issues raised, such as water and sewer concerns.

Sherrill Erickson, a La'ie resident for 30 years, supports the plan, saying it would help the church-run BYU-Hawai'i, Polynesian Cultural Center and the community as a whole.

Erickson said extended families are forced to live together and a lot of people are moving away. The development plan would provide affordable homes as well as jobs, she said.

"We'd like to have a park, another little shopping center and another school so our community can grow," she said.

But Waialua resident Gil Riviere said the project would double the number of homes in the Kahuku-La'ie community and create a continuous row of houses from La'ie to Kahuku.

"I think it's important that they give all the people in Ko'olauloa consideration," he said. "Everybody in Ko'olauloa should have a reasonable voice. I don't think they should be overrun."

In addition to BYU-Hawai'i, Hawaii Reserves and Polynesian Cultural Center are the other two church affiliates involved in Envision La'ie. Beaver said the PCC also needs to expand because it supplies jobs to BYU-Hawai'i students.

The plan offers a solution for the university and it addresses the need for affordable housing for the Ko'olauloa community, Beaver said.

The Envision La'ie plan calls for relocating a 550-unit housing site, which is behind and next to the university, to land the church owns in Malaekahana at Gunstock Ranch. A light industrial area slated for university land would also be moved there, creating room for the university and PCC to expand.

A new town would be developed at Malaekahana and include churches, parks, a shopping mall, bike paths, a mauka road, condominiums and single-family homes.

Government planning approvals are needed for the development to proceed. First, however, the Ko'olauloa Sustainable Communities Plan would need to be amended.

The City Council has the final say over any changes to the plan. Envision La'ie must also submit an application to the state Land Use Commission to change the state land classification to allow housing. Then it's back to the city to get a zoning change from agriculture to housing.

Envision La'ie could go directly to the city to ask for the changes, but Beaver said the group is looking for community support.

"What we're saying is we're willing to try if this is what the community wants and the government is willing to work through it with us," he said. "But if we can't get through this first step of amending the Sustainable Communities Plan, then we're not going to spend more time and more money doing all that research."