To boost tourism, get rid of building-height requirement
The Hawai’i state building code, April 20, 2021, was given over the internet by Errata and Addenda, May 18, 2021.
The buildings on Kaua‘i are classified into two categories, residential and commercial. For residential buildings, the height of the roof top has to be no more than 30 feet top to ground level. The commercial buildings, which are built on rural, urban, commercial, agricultural or forestry (land), are a maximum height of 75 feet.
It would make Kaua‘i competitive with the rest of the world by making the height requirement 250 feet, just like the buildings you see in Waikiki. There are several reasons I felt this is important.
Tourism would grow to 500,000 in a few short years if this occurs. It would make Kaua‘i a five-star destination, just like Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. What this would do is create an influx of tourists, thereby create an economic tourist industry of Kaua‘i and its own tourist base sites separate from Hawai‘i. More income for the state. I think Kaua‘i is not a world-class destination. To become one, they would need to increase the height restrictions on the building codes first. That’s the starting point.
HTA would take over and we’d have a new organization within a government that would bring in about 35 million tourist per year at a steady rate that would produce billions of dollars for Kaua‘i’s economy. Hopefully people will agree. All over the world. Then we won’t need to go to Las Vegas.
Dean Sabado, Honolulu
Aloha spirit extends to animals
I was driving towards Po‘ipu this morning on Ala Kinoiki, and right past the intersection of Mahaulepu/Weliweli Road was a line of stopped cars coming up, and slow traffic in my lane.
In the oncoming lane was a small pickup with the driver out of the car looking behind to the line of cars. The first car in the lineup was stopped in the lane completely. The driver was out. Looked like they were talking at first, then the woman in the first turned to look behind to the line of cars stopped behind her. Clearly not road rage.
As I passed Weliweli Road the cars in my lane were completely stopped, then slowly crept forward. As I looked at the oncoming lane, there was a gap of about 1 1/2 cars. I saw a medium-sized dog was between the cars.
The woman, whose car was facing the dog, got out and waved towards the front of the line to signal the guy that a dog was in front of her. In my lane, the cars in front of me stopped as they passed the dog to make sure it wouldn’t bolt in front of them.
I came to Kaua‘i to settle with a woman I met who lives here. From the moment I stepped off the plane until now, I’ve been assaulted by the beauty of island and its people. What’s the opposite of road rage? I saw it this morning. There’s a lot of offerings of Kaua‘i, how people can live in relation to the land and to others.
I was born and raised on O‘ahu. Hawai‘i has a lot to offer. But I gotta say, Kaua‘i is special. Just thought I’d share some news that was not about division, polemics, politics, hate and anger, to show that Kaua‘i has people who live our state law of the aloha spirit.
I love living here.
Daijo Kaneshiro, Po‘ipu
Dean Sabado… kauai does not need, nor can it handle, any more tourists!
Please go to Las Vegas.
Mr. Dean “Honolulu” Sabado-
If your letter is an attempt at satire, you missed the mark
If your letter was meant seriously, you appear to be losing your mind.
Regarding Dean Sabado’s comment of Aug 8th, “To Boost Tourism Get Rid Of Building Height Requirements”, it’s the absolute worst idea I’ve read in TGI ever, and as we all know, there have been some beauties. Beyond his suggestion that we could increase Kauai’s tourist population to 500,000
annually, he says, ” we could have buildings just like you see in Waikiki”. There are multiple other ideas to make one gag in his comment. Look it up, you won’t believe it.
Ron Bronson
Wailua Houselots
Sorry Dean, but we don’t want to turn this island into Waikiki or Las Vegas. This is a nice, laid back rural island and we like it that way. This island can’t even handle 30,000 tourists, let alone 500,000. We’ll keep our building codes and let you continue to build in and destroy Honolulu. Mahalo.
Thank goodness for our building code and long may it continue to keep Kauai from being all about tourists. And thank goodness for the aloha spirit that shows we care about our aina, including dogs and people.
The letter from Dean Sabado contains some of the lamest and most horrifying ideas I’ve ever heard. Is he actually serious? It is also factually incorrect as Kauai already gets way more than 500,000 tourists per year, which is why traffic is already so horrible and so many beaches and other public areas are disgustingly overcrowded (been to Hanalei and Haena lately?).
On the other hand, the letter from Daijo Kaneshiro was very cool and positive. Nice balance, I guess.
Dean Sabado, where on earth did you ever get the idea that we need to boost tourism here? I usually read about plans and ideas to limit tourism. We don’t want to be Oahu or Las Vegas. If you like those places, visit them or move there.
Wow Dean, I hope you are writing this as a joke because it’s the most absurd, inappropriate and disrespectful thing I’ve ever heard. You should be ashamed of yourself for this article.. Please keep these attitudes over on Oahu or better yet maybe you should move to New York city, it seems like you would love it there.
Less tourists, not more.
More buildings for what?
to cater to tourists ??
and native Hawaiians got to live on the sidewalk until the city considers them an eyesore and they get moved by force losing their belongings?
Last thing we want is for kauai to become Waikiki.
Building codes: First off your county council is full of failures. Changing this height requirement would be impossible. All high school flunkouts on this primary election. That’s one point against it. Secondly, more “peatones” means more crime, more people, more accidents. Already a negative for the locals. And you’ll need money to start this. More taxes. Who are you going to collect this taxes from? These high school failures? Ha….!
Find another gig too. 3 strikes. You’re out. So that’s the plan for Kaua’i. Helping Albert Pujos reach 714 career homeruns. Give me a better answer Kaua’i. i meant the county council.