In Our View for Wednesday – March 30, 2005

• Mayor’s right on gated communities

Mayor’s right on gated communities

A drive through the nicer areas of Orange County in Southern California will give you a clear picture of what gated communities look like. The gates provide security for residents of the subdivisions behind the gates, which are usually made up of high-end homes. The gates also set off the communities from direct contact with the rest of the county, adding an air of exclusivity and what some call “attitude” towards others lower down on the economic scale.

Today on Kaua‘i there are only two gated communities, one in Kilauea, the other in the Nawiliwili area.

Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste is asking members of the County Council to enact a permanent ban on gated communities on Kaua‘i. The mayor said to the council: “Communities should be welcoming and accessible to every-one.”

While one could see the gates as a reflection of the ancient “kapu” or “forbidden” boundaries of ancient Kaua‘i, those days are long gone.

However, our rural lifestyle and deep roots in the plantation area of strong, integrated communities are being threatened by the fast pace of high-end home construction versus the slowing pace of homes coming on the market that first-time and middle-class buyers can afford.

This trend is moving our prime North-Shore and South-Shore areas to the place where Aspen, Colo. is at now; a place where average people can’t afford to live. The difference here is that in Aspen workers can commute from lower-priced areas. On Kaua‘i, the Pacific Ocean limits that possibility. Mayor Baptiste’s call for a ban on gated communities is just one step that should be taken to make sure the economics don’t drive away the spirit of aloha from Kaua‘i, and that feeling aloha in some Kaua‘i communities won’t require a steep price tag in the future.