In Hawaii, it always is all about the land. The dilemma is that the land is so valuable it must be used; not to do so would be a waste. And the land has such grace and encapsulates so much potential that it must be preserved.

The lands in question are 25 acres of the Kakaako Makai property the Abercrombie administration gave to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to satisfy past ceded land payments.

The entire state parcel is under the control of the Hawaii Community Development Authority.

In 2012, Abercrombie announced the land deal without mentioning that existing state law says there shall be no residential development on the Kakaako Makai land.

Last year an OHA report on its new property noted the dilemma by saying “land is only worth what it can earn.”

This land runs from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Kakaako ocean point and it could earn plenty.

“With its unique Kewalo Basin and Ala Moana Boulevard frontages, it could be the most valuable land in Kakaako,” OHA’s report said.

The report quickly dismissed the current laws regarding the land and said it would be worth the $200 million if it was developed with 400-foot towers.

The OHA report ran down the options for making money with the property. Residential condominiums would be valued at $219 a square foot, rental apartments at $20 a square foot, retail space at $72 a square foot and office space at a negative $245 a square foot.

So obviously OHA’s deal is worth nothing unless the land is developed with residential condos, which is currently against state law.

So it is equally obvious there would be a push to change the law.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Andrew Gomes had the first word on the legislation last week with a Thursday article that explains that state senators are pushing legislation giving HCDA power to approve any residential development on Kakaako Makai land after an OHA public hearing.

But, the law preventing that from happening was not just some random effort at overzealous preservation on the part of the Legislature.

The law banning residential development there came because of one of the most remarkably effective citizen lobbying campaigns. Despite developers’ long and mostly successful history of paving over paradise, the little folk won one back in 2006.

Surfers marched, retirees marched, land owners and fishermen all marched on the state Capitol.

In 2006, the Legislature voted against an Alexander & Baldwin proposal to put three condo towers near where Fisherman’s Wharf now stands. 

Those buildings would have been only 20 stories. A&B later dropped one of the towers from the plans.

Ron Iwami, one of the grassroots organizers, said at the time: “If we didn’t stand up, they’d be building it right now. We won this with the power of the people.”

And yet the same Legislature that afforded the people the victory of 2006 came back at the behest of Abercrombie in 2012 and gave OHA its victory and a path to financial independence with the same land.

Two answers to two pressure points, but one Legislature. Because this is an election year, voters will now have to answer: Which legislator do you trust?

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.