Support governor’s effort to close Turtle Bay easement deal

In the final days of last year’s legislative session, Gov. David Ige, then chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee, played a critical leadership role as the chief architect of the innovative financing bill to save the Turtle Bay coastline.

He told the public: "Against the ticking clock of the budget deadline, the plan I proposed … is a new way to protect and preserve important legacy land in our quest to keep Hawaii special. … Instead of using funds that would go to school or other buildings, visitors will pay to preserve this special land for generations to come. This continues our initiative to have visitors pay for improvements that have direct benefits to residents."

Ige’s quick thinking and willingness to find a workable solution to protect this historic land transaction should be acknowledged and deeply appreciated by the conservation and development community, which collaborated successfully with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) on negotiating the Turtle Bay Conservation Easement.

Ige led the Senate toward strong support for House Bill 2434, which authorized revenue bond financing to purchase, for future generations, a conservation easement of more than 665 acres of shoreline land surrounding the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore.

The conservation deal also built bridges among diverse interests and would end decades of strife and litigation. The Senate voted unanimously in favor of Ige’s approach and the House was strongly in favor of it by a vote of 48-2.

The conservation easement represents a historic opportunity to provide the public — in perpetuity — with access to 5 miles of spectacular shoreline, 8 miles of beautifully maintained trails, and breathtaking open space and wild beaches, and save 665 acres of land surrounding the resort from future development.

The City and County of Honolulu also committed $5 million, and The Trust for Public Land committed to raise $3.5 million, for a total of $48.5 million. This extraordinary partnership was possible only through a new-found level of cooperation.

Indeed, the good faith work has continued since last session. Recently, the Sierra Club and Keep the North Shore Country settled their legal challenges against Turtle Bay Resort’s reduced development plan. The state is finishing its appraisal, title review and other real estate due diligence. The closing of this highly complex transaction is on the horizon.

But Ige’s solution, endorsed by the Legislature last year, may now be in jeopardy due to a technicality. To address the problem, Ige asked the Senate for technical amendments to the financing (Senate Bill 284) to ensure the transaction will close, transferring the responsibility for the transaction to DLNR, and extending the time for completion from June 2015 to June 2016 to give the state needed time to finance the revenue bonds.

These technical amendments (no additional money is being requested) are needed to finish the job, but the House has not moved the bill forward.

We ask that the House stand by its earlier year’s votes in support of the Turtle Bay conservation deal and stand by the governor in his efforts to join together the business, development, conservation and environmental communities in a collaborative effort that brings out the best in all of us.

To help Ige make this long-held dream become a reality, people should contact the House of Representatives and urge them to pass SB 284 by phone or email (reps@capitol.hawaii.gov). For more details, please check The Trust for Public Land Hawaiian Islands Program Facebook site.