It’s been a good couple of weeks for community activism bringing results. And not surprisingly for land-tight Hawaii, it’s use of the aina that stirs the deepest passions in many.
In Haleiwa, the prospect of 3.4 acres of public preservation land being sold to private developers for an 80-room "boutique" hotel galvanized the community.
That proposal, as well as a lesser-impact one by Kamehameha Schools to establish a cultural park, propelled area residents to action.
The eight vacant city parcels being eyed were overgrown and unkempt — but thanks to cleanups by volunteers, much of the acreage was cleared, revealing the parcels’ great public potential.
Now, all signs are that the city has reversed its position and will not sell what it once downplayed as "remnant" public land, and the City Council has set aside $500,000 for a public canoe halau on the Haleiwa site.
That was enough for the Save Haleiwa Beach Park Coalition and others to drop their lawsuit against the city to block the land sale, a welcome resolution to a contentious issue.
On the other side of town, in Hawaii Kai, mounting opposition caused Kamehameha Schools to shelve ideas for a Foodland-anchored shopping center on its "great lawn," north of Maunalua Bay.
Many area residents consider the 4.5 acres of preservation land owned by Kamehameha as the gateway into Hawaii Kai.
Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board Chairman Greg Knudsen, who called community opposition "overwhelming," noted that an estimated 200 attendees at an initial community meeting on the development had doubled to 400 at the second.
And in discussing land-use matters, one cannot forget the huge public outcry a few months ago that successfully repealed the Public Land Development Corp., a semi-autonomous state agency that was exempt from certain land-use rules.
Of course, not all community efforts prevail. But these recent successes show there is much power in speaking up and staying cohesive and committed.
That’s an important message to hear now, as Oahu moves forward with land-use policies and developments that will bring major changes.
The point is not to scuttle all projects — but, as Hawaii residents with much at stake, to give input and be involved in the process.
Two landmark issues are now squarely at our doorstep:
» The 20-mile rail project will be the biggest game changer, stretching from East Kapolei, through Waipahu, West Loch, Kakaako and Ala Moana.
The city currently is hosting a series of community meetings about transit stations and designs — and this is the best chance for residents to hear, and be heard, about how the project comes together.
Inseparable from rail’s transportation benefits is serious discussion about the scope of transit-oriented development — mixed-use buildings, housing, retail and other complexes — that will crop up and surely change the complexions of existing neighborhoods.
» Then there’s the massive building boom envisioned for the Kakaako district, where 22 condo towers are being masterplanned.
Public sentiment has been mixed about the overall vision, and proposals for "iconic" towers of up to 700 feet high will face much-needed scrutiny in attempting to justify themselves.
In terms of scale, the recent cases in Haleiwa and Hawaii Kai seem almost quaintly provincial next to the looming scope of rail and Kakaako. Further, they involved preservation lands, which face high hurdles in order to be rezoned for development.
But at the heart, taken one neighborhood at a time, it’s all about caring enough about one’s community to take a stand.
The recent cases show that community activism can, indeed, make the difference.
