Rail development proposal fails to give public a voice

A bill moving through the Legislature to give developers virtual carte blanche around future rail stations has the mark of other major decisions on the $5.27 billion Oahu rail proj­ect: an unnecessary rush to action that cuts the public out of the conversation.

Senate Bill 2927, introduced by Sen. Dono­van Dela Cruz, would exempt development around rail and bus centers from city zoning processes, bypass environmental reviews, ease height and density limits, waive state development fees to fund public amenities for the proj­ects, limit avenues for public objection and reduce protections for conservation and agricultural lands, open shoreline, recreational areas and historic sites.

The 20-mile elevated rail line will change the face of our city in profound ways, and development around the stations will compound the effect many times over.

It cries out for a full and open community discussion on the shape and limits of these developments that will have so much impact on our quality of life.

Public officials have had six years since the rail plan took off to initiate a broad discussion on transit-oriented development, but instead have kept the decision-making to themselves and are attempting to ram the rules through in one session of the Legislature.

There’s no legitimate reason not to take the time to bring the community fully into the discussion, as any transit-oriented development is still years away.

The closed process feeds a growing perception that this rail proj­ect is not primarily for the benefit of gridlocked commuters, but for unions, contractors, developers, landowners and banks that will profit not only from construction of the system, but also from unfettered development along the rail line.

These are the same interests to which Mayor Peter Carlisle and the City Council have given virtually total control of the Hono­lulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.

Environmental groups are nearly unanimous in their opposition to the extreme planning exemptions for transit-oriented development. Robert Harris of the Sierra Club said SB 2927 all but eliminates the public voice and community collaboration from some of Oahu’s most important upcoming planning decisions.

Bob Loy of The Outdoor Circle called the measure a "free ticket" for developers to "strangle our island’s open shorelines and recreational areas, marine resources and coastal ecosystems, and scenic open space and historic resources."

But the environmentalists have been backed most vocally by Republican lawmakers, with the majority of their traditional Democratic allies in the Legislasture following the money that flows into their campaigns from the unions, contractors, developers and other financial interests that are pushing SB 2927.

It’s an in-your-face gambit that could backfire as public opinion polls show support for rail shrinking and former Gov. Ben Caye­tano gaining steam in his mayoral campaign to kill the controversial proj­ect.

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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.