"The property has benefited from its "Conservation" designation by the State of Hawaii, which has prohibited development of the parcels. However, there is a great demand for housing, especially at the extreme "high-end" luxury segment of the market and the current business and political climate appear to be favorable for zoning and permitting."

Livable Hawai‘i Kai Hui disputes this statement and we, as a community, must preserve this “open space fabric” as defined in our East Honolulu Sustainble Communities Plan (link is below) and hold the urban growth boundary line and prohibit continuous sprawl. The 337+ acres on Paikō Ridge are Conservation lands currently designated P-1 Restricted Preservation under the Land Use Ordinance, have a history of rock falls and landslide hazards which pose a safety risk for residential neighborhoods located below. Construction run-off from hundreds of homes will also have a devastating impact on the Paikō Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary directly below. These multi-million dollar mansions will overburden our degrading sewer infrastructure, create a greater demand on our limited resources such as fresh water and electricity, impact our already overloaded traffic, and effectively destroy one of the last remaining undeveloped ridges in East Honolulu.

Click on: www.honoluludpp.org/Planning/DevSust_EastHonolulu.asp to view maps of the Urban boundaries and choose [map A-1 open spaces] or [map A-2 urban land use].

Posted on: June 30, 2006 By
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer -Suzanne Roig

Residents Opppse Idea to develope Paiko Ridge parcel

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060630/NEWS01/606300369/1190/NEWS

Posted on: May 16, 2006

URBAN SPRAWL

WHAT MADE HENRY ENG CHANGE HIS POSITION ON CHARTER COMMISSION LAND USE PROPOSALS?

I echo the sentiment and question rose in the Advertiser's May 15th Letter to the Editor "Charter Panel Ignored Voice of the People" and raise another vital question.

What made Henry Eng, director of the Planning and Permitting Department; rapidly change his support of the planning and zoning proposals before the Charter Commission at the May 10 meeting?

I was one of the many who counted on the director's testimony (the most recent being in late March) in-support of measures to stop urban sprawl via proposals establishing urban growth boundaries and targeting city council ala "the super majority" vote for specified zone changes. How is it possible that in the final stretch of deliberating the fate of all the planning and zoning proposals before the Charter Commission for the November 2006 ballot, Mr. Eng changes his mind not once but for each and every planning and zoning proposal? Who did Mr. Eng speak with and what does this say about our leadership and the future growth of our fragile island?

Evangeline Yacuk, Honolulu

Posted on: May 16, 2006

DEVELOPMENT

CHARTER PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE HELPED

Kudos to the 2005-2006 Charter Commission for killing Proposal 47, establishing urban growth boundaries and agricultural protection zones on O'ahu.

I can't wait for greedy developers to build all along Kalaniana'ole Highway, from the Pali all the way to the first visible homes now located at Olomana.

All those obnoxious pines, ironwoods and lush ferns would be replaced with fences or graffiti-covered walls and, best of all, rocks set in concrete that will eventually develop beautiful perennial weeds.

Thankfully, Kawai Nui Marsh will finally be dredged, ridding the island of those ugly birds and then filled in so every single square inch will be surrounded by expensive "waterfront" homes.

The city and state will subsequently pay millions when those homes flood after heavy rains. The traffic lights every 200 feet will never be synchronized, making traffic truly unbearable. The sewers will constantly break and spill raw sewage until the city has to put it up above ground for several years until it can deal with the degrading sewer infrastructure.

Don't think it can happen? In 50 years, Kalaniana'ole Highway in East Honolulu went from a three-lane highway (one lane was for turning) leading to pig and cattle farms, a dairy and fishponds, to the congested six lanes leading to 50,000 homes today.

It's high time we shared our lower quality of life, traffic congestion, overcrowded and unplanned suburban sprawl with the rest of O'ahu, and the Charter Commission made sure of it.

Jeannine Johnson
Niu Valley

Posted on: Monday, May 15, 2006

Letters to the Editor

URBAN SPRAWL

CHARTER PANEL IGNORED 'VOICE OF THE PEOPLE'

Is the City Charter the voice of the people? In your May 10 editorial "Some planned charter changes miss the mark" you wrote, "Honolulu's citizens have a strong environmental and conservation ethic, and it is proper to recognize this philosophy to some degree in the City Charter."

You know this, we know this but apparently the Charter Commission does not.

In fact, they (excluding three enlightened commissioners) completely missed the mark at the May 10, eight-hour-long meeting where they passed only one of 10 planning, zoning and environmental proposals.

This means the people of Honolulu will not have the chance at the November elections to vote on measures designed to protect us from urban sprawl.

We reminded the Charter Commission that this is an island environment with finite land. And we testified as to the challenges we face in East Honolulu regarding protecting our urban growth boundary from shifting prematurely to accommodate a housing development in Kamilo Nui Valley and another on Paiko Ridge.

Despite these facts, not a single, vital urban growth boundary proposal passed! So we ask, is the charter the voice of the people?

Tai Hong
Hawai'i Kai

Elizabeth Reilly
Hawai'i Kai

HONOLULU

IT'S A QUESTION OF BALANCE - by Charles H. Palumbo

PLANNING A SUSTAINABLE O'AHU

We are enjoying great times here on O'ahu. The tourists are flocking, the military keeps coming, and investors continue to spend billions of dollars on speculative development. Things are great, so far.

What we need to understand — beyond politicians trying to take credit for stimulating our economy and bringing business to the state — is that Hawai'i, her people and natural beauty are the things that keep people coming and dollars flowing. Developers, Realtors, politicians and unions need to understand the lure of Hawai'i is affected by every poor choice in development we allow to happen.

If we can all agree on that, then something can be done. The first thing is to stop building outside of the boundaries established for urban growth. By denying the constant pressure to develop virgin land on our ridges and agricultural lands for single-family tract and luxury housing we are moving toward a consciousness that will sustain the beauty and attractiveness of our island.

Rich people are urban-friendly and buy homes within our city, as clearly proven by sold- out highrise developments along Ala Moana Boulevard. All of us can live within the boundaries as established by our government.

No matter who owns the lands they are our collective asset. We as a community must strive to ensure that conservation, preservation and agricultural lands remain intact for the future viability of our county and state. Better use of existing lands within the urban growth boundary is key to the success of retaining the natural beauty.

There is an ongoing argument that we don't need all of our agricultural land. Who is to say that Hawaiian agriculture will never be central to our sustainability? Doesn't it make sense to retain possibly the best agricultural lands in the world in perpetuity? As we move toward greater uncertainty in energy resources, food quality and political climate, I would argue that retention of our fertile agricultural lands could be the greatest strategic asset we possess today.

Taking care of Hawai'i's people is another issue that is sorely being neglected. The happy-go-lucky attitude and easy way of life that I grew up with in Honolulu and on Lana'i are no longer the "Hawaiian style."

We rush around in huge luxury gas guzzlers wearing Italian designer shoes and yakking incessantly on the little cell phone on our ear, rarely taking time to lift our heads from the feeding bag long enough to see how the rest of O'ahu's people are doing.

There is also a huge group of 20- and 30-somethings who have grown up in Honolulu, want to stay in Honolulu, but have little chance of home ownership in today's market because there is not enough inventory being built in town for those unwilling to face the hell of commuting from the sprawl of Central O'ahu.

We need to focus our development appetite toward in-town projects for the real people that personify Hawai'i. By turning the heads of developers fixated on our preservation, conservation and agricultural lands back toward urban Honolulu we can start to remedy the disparity in housing inventory and give a glimmer of hope to those that need a place to live. Compassion can be profitable.

Investment capital and resources to build are finite. Urban growth within the boundaries established is the solution for sustainable development in Honolulu.

We need the tools through tax incentives and new development guidelines to attract dollars to rebuild Honolulu with appropriate mass transit, police, fire, power, waste, communication infrastructure developed in unison.

We also need visionary, credible, intelligent and honest leadership in office and civil service to shut the door on speculative development and stop the destruction of our remaining ridge and agricultural assets to ensure the things that keep people coming and enjoying Honolulu County are never lost.

Charles H. Palumbo
Architect, Honolulu

Hawaii Reporter
Freedom to Report Real News

Save the Green Mountains of Paiko Ridge
Development Threatens Untouched Ridge in East Honolulu
By Gayle G. Carr,

5/8/2006 10:05:23 AM

Paiko Ridge Partners or, "a new buyer" should give up any future attempts to develop the Paiko Ridge, similar to Hawaii Loa and why? There is too much overwhelming power to SAVE THE AINA.

There are too many negative factors that present themselves like Community Opposition, Falling Boulders, and Heath issues that relate to the Sewer System that is all messed up. In this area the waste goes to Sand Island, a long trip and when the lines are broken there is no alternative route there.
Other environmental groups will be for protecting the Aina, it‚s only a matter of time, and what about Livability? It goes down along with everything else. Especially for the frustrated drivers of East Honolulu which will result in more community opposition towards the City.

For many decades our political leaders have said that they would like to improve Traffic but it only gets worse and does not look like it will ever improve.
Our advisors in Washington DC said to have area legislators commit themselves publicly on all of the above. Our Sustainable plan would require amending to include the Paiko parcels to be within the Urban Growth Boundaries.

The Land Use Commission has gone along with the City in the past. The City Council has already passed a resolution to maintain the UGB where it is for East Honolulu, (Resolution 04-198), so why do the developers keep trying to pave our wilderness?

Once again, as history repeats itself the Developers will make promises to the City, visit the local Neighborhood Boards and try to make the community think they will work with them....It never happens, plans change once they get the go ahead, and affordable housing is just a tactic to get approval.....something is very wrong here.

Only you can make a difference. Please attend your monthly Neighborhood Board meetings because they are your link to having your voice heard. Help put a stop to this urban sprawl.

Gayle G. Carr, a resident of Hawaii Kai