Making most of state lands seems doable

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has chalked a middle path in land utilization that deserves serious exploration during the current legislative session. It lies between the status quo of undercapitalized state resources and the controversial Public Land Development Corp., which drew heated criticism from those concerned that the public would not have a say in its projects.

Along with an earlier proposal enabling easier redevelopment of public schools properties, the proposed Harbors and Parks Development Authority represents a rational effort to boost the public benefit of state-owned lands in three categories that have been the most difficult to manage.

The schools-development scheme is part of the state’s campaign to replace Hawaii’s outdated educational facilities, dubbed "21st Century Schools." With most of the buildings a half-century old or more, some means of leveraging private capital generated in redevelopment to help cover the cost of school improvements is clearly necessary.

As for the proposed harbors and parks authority, it is designed to be a scaled-back version of the PLDC. The legislation (Senate Bill 1173, and its twin in the other chamber, House Bill 942) borrows language from the establishment of the corporation and substitutes the authority’s name throughout.

However, it is far more targeted than the wide-ranging PLDC goal of developing any state-owned land, and it lacks the broad permitting exemptions that had PLDC opponents so riled.

At this stage, curtailment seems to be the right approach, allowing the state to demonstrate the potential of public-private partnerships while basically remaining under the current system of land-use reviews.

It’s anything but revolutionary. Especially in the parks arena, public-private partnerships are gaining favor in other states, where elected officials see the idea as preferable to closing parks for lack of taxpayer resources.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for instance, has a plan aimed at weaning state parks there off the public purse. There are many variations, and Hawaii needs to make sure any privatization effort here operates within Hawaii’s own constraints.

Just to name one example: Some private management schemes, which offer the benefit of lower labor costs, could lead to hefty admission charges and other revenue producers that would be at odds with Hawaii’s tradition of free access to the shoreline. So many of our park lands lie at the water’s edge, so this would need to be watched carefully.

Further, there are certain concessions such as fast-food outlets and other activities that could overwhelm some park settings. But rather than spell out precisely what the limits should be, the bill would correctly expose all proposals to the sunlight of public hearing. The overarching aim of producing new revenue for park upkeep is a sound one, but conditions will need to be set in the course of public review.

As for the harbors — which in Hawaii have been famous for maintenance lapses — carefully monitored private management and investment could help, finally, to clear the repairs backlog. Under existing law, such an effort at multi-use redevelopment is being tried at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, where Honey Bee USA Inc. is creating commercial spaces and restaurants. Some harbor residents have objected to the wedding chapel going in as being too disruptive, although it’s at the mauka end of the project. There’s another example of why public hearings, early in the planning stages, are so critical to achieving the right balance in redevelopment.

It’s not yet clear whether the Legislature will decide simply to repeal the PLDC law, rendering its controversial regulation proposals moot, as some would like. But creating a separate agency, whose mission is redevelopment and whose staff would have the expertise, is still the wiser course.

Amending the law to replace the PLDC with the proposed authority seems the preferable option. Designed properly, the new agency could achieve most of the same goals without placing too much strain on public trust — a resource that, like parks and harbor finances, is in short supply.