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Initiated in early 2008, the McKinley Athletic Complex Master Plan project proceeded with minimal participation or awareness on the part of the Ala Moana-Sheridan neighborhood.

A random survey conducted for "Honolulu's Cultural Heritage Corridor" (Technical Report, November 2009) found that 82% of the respondents were unaware of the McKinley's original plan to expand its athletic facilities by installing a new 10,000-seat stadium, new baseball and softball stadiums, relocating the Central YMCA there and installing a 50-meter swimming pool.

In part because of concerns expressed about the impacts and cost of the more ambitious components of the sports complex, the Master Plan was scaled back to start from a smaller range of athletic facilities and improvements. The Environmental Assessment (EA) draft for the McKinley High School Softball Stadium and Girls Athletic Locker Room was posted on the OEQC (Office of Environmental Quality Control) website on March 19, 2010 and comments were due in April 2010. Area legislators Senator Carol Fukunaga, Representative Karl Rhoads, Representative Tom Brower, Senator Brickwood Galuteria, and Councilmember Ann Kobayashi submitted comments on the Environmental Assessment draft.

While the softball stadium and girls athletic locker room covered by the Draft EA are proposed to be located on the site of the existing softball field (adjacent to Neal Blaisdell Center and Concert Hall), residents and interested stakeholders should be aware that:

• The softball stadium will be used by McKinley students and is being designated as the OIA softball championship field for the island of Oahu; it will be illuminated for night play.
• No additional parking facilities are being planned for the McKinley High School campus in conjunction with projected usage.
• The location of the softball stadium will require relocation of the existing oval track and multipurpose field to the Pensacola/Kapiolani corner of the McKinley campus (per the McKinley High School Athletic Complex Master Plan - Group 70 International, 2008).

The McKinley Softball Stadium Draft EA received a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on July 8, 2010, which allows the project to proceed as scheduled. However, based on comments received during the comment period, Department of Education will prepare a Draft Environmental Assessment on the McKinley Athletic Complex Master Plan, which will be ready for public review and comment in early 2011.