| 24/7 Customer Service | Place Ad

Friday, May 24, 2013

www.staradvertiser.comNewsBreaking

Comment | View Comments

State House panels advance land development agency bill

By Anita Hofschneider

Associated Press

POSTED: 02:57 p.m. HST, Mar 20, 2013
LAST UPDATED: 01:17 a.m. HST, Mar 21, 2013

A Hawaii Senate bill to establish a Private-Public Partnership Authority is making leaps through the state House.

The committees on economic development and water and land approved the bill Wednesday.

Lawmakers expanded the number of pilot projects that the agency can start from three to seven.

The projects include a film production facility, a project in Wahiawa and four county-initiated projects.

The proposal is strongly opposed by critics of the state’s existing Public Land Development Corporation.

Many see the land agency as an overreach of the state’s power because it is exempt from county zoning and permitting rules.

Both chambers voted earlier this session to repeal it.

Supporters of the new organization emphasize that it requires all projects to abide by existing development rules.

Comment | View Comments

Leave a comment

Please login to leave a comment.

Maneki_Neko wrote:

PLDC-LITE.

Legislators, expect to hear a whole lot of complaints about this one too. We do not like the way you guys keep trying to manipulate us into creating entities that have broad powers to over ride the zoning and other protections we want to protect. You can try and polish a turd but it is still a turd.

on March 20,2013 | 03:10PM

mcc wrote:

We do not trust them but someone still votes them in

on March 20,2013 | 03:50PM

Kalaheo1 wrote:

You guys lost the trust of your districts the last time you tried this. Are sweetheart deals for developers really the best us of your time? You sure were quick to shoot down the bill imposing a mandatory prison sentence on those who would sexually abuse children.

on March 20,2013 | 03:47PM

false wrote:

Be careful what you wish for.

on March 20,2013 | 04:16PM

Maneki_Neko wrote:

There is an interesting discussion of the deceit and manipulation of the PLDC bill reported on Senator Laura Thielen's blog. Check it out and see if you don't think Malama Solomon needs some time in retirement:

http://www.senatorlaurathielen.com/798/

on March 20,2013 | 04:24PM

Waterman2 wrote:

Same skirting the law....just new name. Forget it.

on March 20,2013 | 04:58PM

false wrote:

Anita, Please provide the bill number when reporting on important legislation. It makes it much easier for your readers to dig deeper and, perhaps, take action. Thanks!

on March 20,2013 | 07:37PM

false wrote:

The censor triggers are awfully sensitive. Let me try again.

The bill is SB215. The original author was, of course, Donovan Delacruz, top lackey for development interests. Members of Econ Dev & Bus voted strongly for the bill. But the vote was quite different in Water & Land, where only the chair, Rep. Evans, voted Yes. Four others voted "with reservations" and another voted "no."

That suggests the bill MAY be in trouble and people should press their legislators to vote against the bill on the floor.

on March 20,2013 | 07:51PM

bender wrote:

Our lawmakers just don't get it. We're tired of them trying to push through legislation that favors special interest development. We don't need a body of unelected people making development decisions for Hawaii such as PPA would be able to do. We have county guidelines so the creation of the agency is obviously designed to circumvent something, otherwise the developers would follow normal procedures. House members need to receive a strong message on this subject before they vote. Thanks to false for providing the SB number, that being SB215.

on March 21,2013 | 05:41AM