• Attack on open space • Staying rural a reality? • Vision … not hype Attack on open space On Oct. 4th the County Council will determine if Ahko Inc (an O‘ahu family corporation) can “upzone” its property in Waimea
• Attack on open space
• Staying rural a reality?
• Vision … not hype
Attack on open space
On Oct. 4th the County Council will determine if Ahko Inc (an O‘ahu family corporation) can “upzone” its property in Waimea Valley, next to Ching Park, from Open Space to R-4 Residential.
The new zoning designation will lead to a cash windfall for the owners because as many as eight units could be squeezed onto the land.
The Ahko corporation has hired a “development” lawyer, Walton Hong, to make this look as if a local family has been denied use of their property by an unfair county system. This is nonsense. With the current Open Space zoning, the members of this family could build a family homestead; put up a horse corral; plant a garden and orchard; construct recreation facilities and even (until 2007) apply for an ADU.
If they wanted to they could sell their developed land for a large sum of money … but that is not enough for Ahko Inc. They want more money than the current land use permits … so they hired a lawyer to change the rules.
Hong’s argument that Ahko Inc has the right to develop because other neighbors have done so is specious at best. Were those neighbors in a residentially zoned district? Neither is it pertinent that the county does not currently have an expansion plan for Ching Park that includes the Ahko Inc land — as Hong argued. It is likely that Ching Park will fulfill an increasing role as every undeveloped lot in Waimea is built out. Won’t our Open Space will be more crucial over time as our population grows?
Open Space and Agland Districts are in the cross-hairs of speculators because they are undeveloped and because they are often in attractive locations.
Undeveloped Open Space, like the property in question, provides important neighborhood functions like: lowland drainage in times of flooding; buffers between urban and agland uses; places for temporary grazing for domesticated animals; and a place for things like kiawe trees and wild birds to thrive. In my opinion, “upzoning” variances should not be approved until the 30-year-old Comprehensive Zoning Ordinances have been updated to match the 6-year-old General Plan.
Originally Walton Hong asked for an R-6 “upzoning.” The Planning Commission had the good sense to deny any zoning change. Now Hong goes to the Council on appeal. The cost to Ahko Inc. for the R-4 designation will be a few hours of lawyer fees necessary to ask the County Council for a “favor.”
The cost of this change to Kaua‘i will be permanent; the rural acreage will be lost forever at a time when we can little afford it. If Kaua‘i needs more “affordable” housing, why not look to areas zoned residential already; at least upgrade zoning within the same class of use.
A Westside neighborhood petition gathered 130 signatures to stop this zoning upgrade. The Planning Commission voted against it. The Sierra Club shares their view. The General Plan demands our keeping rural character intact wherever we can. What will it take to have our county government listen to someone other than the lawyers and speculators?
I live in a rural valley near Waimea. My wife, my neighbors, and I will not vote for any council member who approves this zoning upgrade for fear this kind of “favor” could happen anywhere!
If you want to keep Kaua‘i rural, I urge you to be at the meeting that begins at 9 a.m. on Oct. 4 in the Council Chamber in the Old County Building.
Staying rural a reality?
A letter writer (The Garden Island letters, Sept. 30) seems to believe that Kaua’i can remain rural. Perhaps it can, but I sure hope the author owns his home and land. Because if the people in charge of the growth on the island keep it as it is without growth, then the value of land will rise higher and higher. And people who are born here will have very little chance for ownership of property. Those of us fortunate enough to own property will just see our estate become worth more and more.
As to what would happen if the aboriginal people owned the island, I wonder if the letter writer would like the fact that the kings or queens and their hierarchy would own all of the prime areas and the rest would live on whatever the monarchy didn’t want. And guess who would be doing all of the work?
Yep, it wouldn’t be the monarchy and their hierarchy.
Those past historical times worked because the subordinates knew their place.
So how do you resolve the lack of affordable housing? You do what they have done in Japan. Build highrise apartment/condo units. All of which are located inland. Instead of 80 percent of the island being reserve, it would be, perhaps 30 percent. Allow no future building of anything in the beach areas, except for renovation and upgrades. Absolutely no highrise buildings near the beaches.
Then build quality rapid transit system as they have done in and around Tokyo.
My guess is that there are going to be more and more people coming to Hawai‘i and if nothing is done regarding housing, then property/housing will just become more and more expensive. And that’s my 2 cent’s worth.
- Gordon “Doc” Smith
Kapa’a
There are those who choose to paint the people opposing the Superferry as having ungrounded fears and a resistance to change. Have they considered that these people also looked forward to inter-island ferry travel — until they realized that its planning and inception never accounted for the actual effects it would have on the quality of life on Kaua‘i?
The Superferry opposition is providing us with fair warning that the 5:30 p.m. arrival and 6:30 p.m. departure times will further snarl traffic in all directions, that it is impossible to monitor drugs and invasive species concealed in vehicles, that struggling Kaua‘i merchants will be affected by the loss of shoppers going to O‘ahu, that the ferry will strike whales as its prototype does in other parts of the world, that locking our doors and cars will be a consideration when stolen goods can easily move off the island, that local access will be compromised not only by operations near Nawiliwili Park, but at campgrounds, fishing areas and beaches all over the island. Facts, not hype.
It takes great love and sacrifice to give up something that might benefit you personally, in order to avoid harm to many. Let’s thank these people for sharing their vision of the big picture, before it’s too late.
- David Perugini
Princeville
