The city is paving the parking lot on the north end of Kailua Beach Park in a project far smaller than one planned seven years ago for the site that included reconfiguring the road, adding parking stalls and providing space for commercial activities.

The project, which has been under way for about a week, calls for reconstructing some of the parking lot and paving it, said Collins Lam, deputy director for the city Department of Design and Construction.

"This project was requested by the late (Councilwoman) Barbara Marshall," Lam said. "I know the community has been looking for this for a while."

Seven years ago the community was briefed on a much bigger project and were looking at four options that provided for sand stabilization measures, new trees, naupaka bushes, picnic tables and a play area for children.

"At that point they were talking about dropping very large money to do a complete redesign on to that park," said Rolly Naish, manager of Naish Hawaii, a windsurfing and kiteboarding company. "I think this is probably an indicator of them dropping the idea of doing a major redesign and doing the minimum necessary so it will be serviceable for another 15 or 20 years."

Naish said he's not sure those improvements were needed then but the city did install sprinklers and bushes, which made a big difference and seemed to attract more people to Kailua's shore.

Even this new project has him wondering.

"I don't know that it was really necessary," he said.

But Egmar Klemmer, owner of Kailua Sailboard & Kayaks, said the conditions at the parking lot were really bad.

"The surface of the pavement was all broken up," Klemmer said. "It was a long time overdue."

Improvements to the south end of the park were done about a decade ago but the north end always seemed like the stepchild, he said.

"When you think about how many people use that part of the beach, half of Kailua is down there, and on the weekend, half of the island," Klemmer said.

The contract is being done under a new program that finishes projects faster, Lam said.

About $500,000 has been allotted for the project, and Site Engineering is the contractor.

The parking lot will be closed for the duration of the project, which allows the contractor to finish sooner, Lam said, adding that it should reopen on Oct. 30.

"It's a little inconvenient for a little while, but I think it will make it faster," he said.