Letter: Land trusts should buy up timeshares

The Star-Advertiser’s editorial on high-rise exemptions and the tradeoffs for affordable housing units falls short in its two-dimensional thinking (“City gives away too much for TOD,” Our View, Nov. 13).

Leasehold land held by Hawaiian trusts, as the legal perpetuation of the ahupuaa and the role of the alii as the appropriate allocators of accessible land uses for the people, has been overlooked consistently.

The trusts have existing time-share housing on their leasehold lands.

They should buy up the time-shares on their lands, then allocate the units to rental tenants who work on their lands, and pass the cost over to the hotel and business owners when the renewal of their leases come due.

The action will drive developers to build further inland on fee simple lands that have little appeal for tourists, but could house other kamaaina workers who could bike to work.

This would go a long way to solve our local housing needs for lower-income workers and raise the living standards for many more locals.

Robert Tellander

Waikiki

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