State Supreme Court upholds Ho’opili decision
A Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center facility in the Ho‘opili community, above, would employ about 200 people. (Rendering Courtesy D.R. Horton)
A Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center facility in the Ho‘opili community, above, would employ about 200 people. (Rendering Courtesy D.R. Horton)
The Hawaii Supreme Court today upheld a decision by a state commission to urbanize 1,526 acres of farmland on the Ewa Plain for development of an 11,750-home project called Ho‘opili.
A four-justice majority issued the ruling, which rejects an appeal that opponents of Ho‘opili filed in 2012 against the state Land Use Commission. One justice, Richard Pollack, dissented.
The decision allows Ho‘opili’s developer, D.R. Horton, to move ahead with the project.
The appeal was made by State Sen. Clayton Hee and representatives of the Sierra Club who unsuccessfully contested Horton’s plans at LUC hearings.
Hee and the Sierra Club appealed the LUC decision on grounds that it violated a section of Hawaii’s Constitution that calls for preserving agricultural land and that the commission should have adopted rules to designate important agricultural land under a 2005 law enacted as Act 183 before deciding whether to urbanize the Ho‘opili site.
The appeal also argued that the LUC violated its own rules that prohibit urbanizing farmland that has been cultivated within two years of a petition for urbanization if developing the land impairs Hawaii agriculture production or is not necessary to accommodate population growth.
Horton contended that its project is necessary to accommodate population growth and that farmers displaced from the Ho‘opili site could relocate to suitable land mainly in the Wahiawa area and maintain agricultural production.
Hee and the Sierra Club presented expert witnesses that claimed crop production on the Ho‘opili land would not shift to other areas.
11 responses to “State Supreme Court upholds Ho’opili decision”
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Add thousands of vehicles on H1. 2 hours to town in morning, 2 hours to home in afternoon. Glad I’m retired and not stuck in that mess.
what a f ng drag
thanks to our crooked politicians now cholo gonna have to leave the west side 3 o’clock in the morning to get downtown by 6. makes cholo want to smash fish tacos in their faces.
No plans to retire here….no….way. I will gladly give a properly running state my tax dollars, but not this one.
Truly sad. Just glad I grew up here when Oahu was Hawaii and not a miniature Hong Kong or mainland dump. Mahalo to all the GREEDY horrible politicians that have RUINED this once beautiful island in the Pacific. Shame on you! Where is the outrage? Or the protest? D.R. Horton is a Texas Company. OBTW this island has ONE landfill! Eh, where’s da opala gonna go eventually. Yay more lua waste.
Remember, “Hawaii 78”
I also grew up on Oah’u and have lived in Minnesota since 1983. Our Aina was beautiful back in da day but not NOW!!!! I have come for vacation every yea since 1995 and it gets worse every time I’m back home(traffic #1,tall office towers and condos)which is ruining the beauty of the Aina. Here in Minnesota, D.R Horton is a major contributor to large outlet malls and new residential suburbs. We have the land and freeway system that can handle any new subdivisions to be built. There is no beauty of mountain ranges to worry about blocking to see while driving in our land of 10,000 lakes and farm land. Where’s land to be preserved why destroy it buy letting a mainland company take it and build more single family that locals can not afford.
LEAVE THE BEAUTY OF OUR AINA AS IT SHOULD BE. How would our kings and queens feel if they could see what is being done to their land that was once THEIRS.
Compare Jim Schuler to Clayton Hee and guess which one sits on the dark side
Now everybody gotta wake up at tree in da morning to get to work on time. Cheeeee
What! Bodda you?
Hawaii Supreme Justices: TMT No, Ho’opili Yes. What a travesty.
This can still be turned around- in 2016, simply do not vote for any person in elective office who assisted in the travesty. On Election Day 2016- we can still save this town.