Charter amendments should be of significant consequence in the shaping and improvement of how the county is run. Honolulu City Charter Amendment No. 8, relating to the establishment of a Department of Land Management (DLM) is such a consequential amendment. It would create a one-stop shop where all land management-related functions would take place and lead to significant efficiencies and better land-related decisions. It is long overdue and voters should vote “yes.”
Smart land management is critical on an island with limited space. How we use it, how we care for it, how we manage its purchase and sale should be of utmost concern. Yet today, those functions are so dispersed among different agencies that issues do not get addressed, and transparency in governing those lands is clouded to say the least. No one has specific responsibility for the land, diminishing its priority and its value in city government.
For example, if the city needs a new baseyard, the search of potential parcels currently would involve its Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS) and the Department of Facility Maintenance (DFM); the analysis and survey of the site would involve the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and the DFM; the site appraisal and the purchase of any required consulting services would involve the BFS assisted by the DDC.
Finally, once purchased, the baseyard would be managed by the DFM. This can result in a bureaucratic nightmare, duplicative skill sets, and projects often becoming stalled for many years.
In addition, the city has undeveloped parcels that could and should be converted into much-needed affordable housing or used for other public purposes. These have not been developed for many years because there is no agency responsible for this. Examples include the Aiea Sugar Mill, Varona Village, vacant lots in Kapolei, West Loch, Kalaheo, Waiahole and Waikane. With the creation of the Department of Land Management, the city would better utilize these lands in ways that benefit our community, and accomplish this in a faster time frame, rather than have them remain unproductive.
Critics of Amendment No. 8 allude to it as a mini-PLDC (Public Land Development Corp.). Nothing could be further from the truth. The Charter Commission took careful steps to eliminate any circumvention of current reviews and approvals, and major decisions are approved by the City Council; it increased transparency by requiring opportunities for public review and comment. Everything is done in the sunshine.
To allay specific concerns about the potential loss of park lands, the commission took park lands out of the management responsibility of the DLM. As a result, the fear by some in the community that this amendment would result in development of our open spaces is unfounded.
Creating a new DLM is a bold statement that our land is critical to the people of Oahu, and we will care for it correctly. It makes for better efficiency and good government. Vote yes on Amendment 8.
Roy K. Amemiya, Jr. is managing director of the City & County of Honolulu.
