Mayor Kirk Caldwell continues his rampage against private property rights to push for his pet $13 Million Hau’ula  Fire  Station Relocation Project

The City County of Honolulu purchased Lot 64 in April, 2010. It was an overgrown commercial-zoned lot of 20,297 sq ft. c.  Lot 64 has sufficient land area for a typical fire station like that of Kane’ohe,

Wahiawa,

McCully-Moiliili

or Makaloa by Pam Am Building along Kapiolani Blvd.

A typical fire station sits on approximately 19,000 sq. ft. of land area.

A city maintenance crew came to  grub and clear its Lot 64  for the first time on October 18, 2013 – around 9:00 am.  The crew finished grubbing and hauling the debris around 12:00 pm.

Thereafter, two policemen from the Kahuku sub-station arrived on scene. We pointed out the survey pins of the city-owned Lot 64 to them. It appeared they were dispatched to check if the cleaning and clearing was completed. They left thereafter. We wondered why police resources were used to follow-up on the city’s maintenance  work.

Around 1:00 pm,  police cars converged on our Lot 65 by Reynolds Recycling Container. One was parked on the Masa Market parking lot across the street.

Two women, one with a camera and a clerk appeared on the scene at Lot 65.

This city worker began seizing the free speech sign that said,

“No  $$ for Bus.

Got $7Billion for Rail

MORE BUS PLS”

Other city workers proceeded to seize our free speech protest signs against Eminent Domain Abuse on our private property Lot 65. The court hearing for ‘public use’ relating to this eminent domain taking is set for March, 2014.

This was the second free speech signs raid on Lot 65. The first was on May 29, 2013. A lawsuit was filed against the city’s illegal actions on August 13, 2013, awaiting trial.

City workers used a bulldozer to uproot and seize three 4′ x 8′ protest signs.

The Mayor  wants to  shut down Reynolds Recycling in Hau’ula. The Department of Planning and Permitting
issued the permit to operate on January 29, 2013.

The Mayor of Honolulu is having a melt-down. What a shame! Bullies don’t belong at Honolulu Hale.

Kahuku Plantation Camp residents struggle with pending evictions & homelessness.

The Kahuku Plantation Sugar Mill was built in 1890 and ceased its operations in 1971.

About 71 plantation homes remain in this iconic plantation camp. Today’s residents have longstanding ties to the plantation era. Many of their grandparents, parents or themselves have contributed to the success of their plantation Lunas. There were promises to reciprocate their contributions by allowing the plantation workers to buy the humble homes.

Continental Pacific, LLC purchased the plantation camp from The Estate of James Campell in 2006. Long story short, there are brewing controversies. About 30 residents are facing evictions. The Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin and Budget Chair Ann Kobayashi adopted an unanimous Council  resolution to set aside funds to purchase the Plantation Camp through a non-profit organization to manage it.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell does not appear to have the will to help solve this crisis. Residents believe the mayor’s reluctance to help stay the evictions may be due to the fact that Continental Pacific, LLC’s attorney is Lex Smith, Caldwell’s former mayoral campaign chair.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell – mayor@honolulu.govHonolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin – emartin@honolulu.gov
Continental Pacific, LLC   – http://www.cplandco.com/

Definition of GENTRIFICATION

‘Keep the Country Country’ versus ‘Envision Laie’ city at Malaekahana, Kahuku 

The Ko’olau Loa Sustainable Communities  Plan ( KSCP) has always been a land-use document  that preserves and protects the scenic view planes, watersheds, natural resources as well as the rural charm of the Ko’olau Loa communities.

This deliberate plan in the Oahu General Plan was set in the 1970s.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann drastically altered this KSCP before he resigned as Mayor to run for Governor in 2010.  His administration  –  David Tanoue ( Director of Department of Planning & Permitting) and Kirk Caldwell ( Managing Director and Acting Mayor)   unilaterally inserted  ‘Envision Laie’ subdivision into the KSCP, much to the disgust of  many members in the Ko’olau Loa Sustainable Communities Plan Advisory Committee and others throughout Oahu. Other Plans such as the Ewa Development Plan also suffered this same ‘end-around’ tactic from the Hannemann Administration.

The KSCP  controversy is a story of bureaucratic power and grassroots struggles that could outdo any popular Korean drama.

Here are some of the many concerns in the public conversations:

Traffic! Kam Hwy is a 2-lane road from Kahalu’u to Haleiwa. Widening Kam Hwy will inevitably displace local owners and small businesses along Kam Hwy. The costs to taxpayers, should Kam Hwy become a 4-lane Hwy, are guestimated at $340 Billion.

The open space, rural charm, and local lifestyle on this region are  the last remnant of island living.  Oahu residents and tourists alike love and flock to this iconic part of Oahu. ‘Keep the Country Country’ is a golden goose of Oahu’s tourism industry.

Developers want to segment and only focus on their project in this region. However, the cumulative impacts of thousands of new residents must be considered. Traffic congestion is a 800 pound gorilla; no wordsmith can sugar-coat this impact.

Recently the Star Advertiser reported Steve Hoag, Hawaii Reserves’ spokesman as saying “94%  of the region is undeveloped” as part of its rationale to cement 300 acres of farmlands. This soundbite continues to be met with ridicule and disbelief. Unless developers wish to blow up the Ko’olau mountains, 94% of the region will probably never be developed.

“Gentrification” – the process in which massive developers push out the less-affluent in communities. The less-affluent are unable to keep up with the rising costs of property taxes, real estate, rents and other basic modern living expenses. This scenario is playing out at the Kahuku Plantation Camp where about 31 old-timer plantation residents are in a fierce eviction fight with their new owner, Continental Pacific, LLC from Florida. The attorney representing Continental Pacific, LLC was the campaign manager for incumbent Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Then, unrighteous dominion prompted then-Ko’olau Loa Neighborhood #28 Vice-Chair Richard Fale to deny those who opposed ‘Envision Laie’ the right to testify. The Honolulu Neighborhood Board Commission eventually nullified the neighborhood board’s adopted resolution in support of ‘Envision Laie’. They have since changed the color of their yellow t-shirts to baby blue.

Although Steven Wheelwright, President of the BYU-Hawaii, has publicly testified that ‘Envision Laie’ has overwhelming support, it does not appear to be so. Those who appear in blue shirts are mostly employees, administrators, students, and relatives. There have been complaints of the Envision Laie Team inviting volunteer missionaries on temporary assignments to stack these meetings.

Although Hawaii Reserves R. Eric Beaver projects that they have overwhelming support, neighboring community associations such as the Waikane, Hau’ula, Kahuku, Ka’a’awa, Punalu’u, Sunset have testified against ‘Envision Laie’. The Kahalu’u, Kane’ohe, Manoa, and the North Shore Neighborhood Boards are also opposed. Environmental groups like Defend Oahu Coalition, Keep the North Shore Country, Surfrider Foundation – Oahu Chapter and many other groups have spoken against  altering the Ko’olau Loa Sustainable Plan. This is Hawaii Reserves’ Blue Shirts versus the rest of Oahu.

There are questions as to why the expansion of Brigham Young University -Hawaii would require a regional shopping center, light and heavy industrial parks, professional buildings, market-value homes and so forth.

Although the Envision Laie Team continues to market the project with ‘homes’, HRI has not revealed the prices of such homes. There is no information on whether it is leasehold or fee simple, or has conditions such as ‘buyback’ and so forth. The enticement of ‘jobs’ also appears contradictory to many who hav witnessed mass firings of long-time employees who were then replaced by mainland transplants.

A Brief Summary:

It’s only natural for developers to push for their own agenda. Aggressive and manipulated social media propaganda is part of the game.

However, the fiduciary duty of the County of Honolulu is to professionally and boldly consider the merits and facts presented to them by the developers and their lobbyists. The Department of Planning and Permitting has failed in its fiduciary stewardship to the public thus far in this important process.

There are many more discussions to be had in this process.

In another arena, there are persistent complaints and angst over Hawaii Reserves, Inc using “the Church” in an effort to discourage church members from raising questions and voicing their concerns.  This is unrighteous dominion. Hawaii Reserves, Inc cannot claim it is solely a Hawaii for-profit corporation when it does not want to contribute funds to the community and then turn around to use the church card to their sole advantage  whenever it is convenient.

I do not represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but I am a member who can emphatically state the LDS  Church values basic principles of ‘free agency’ and being a ‘good neighbor’. Church members are  always encouraged to participate according to their own will and dictates of their conscience to improve their communities.

Every citizen, a member or not, has the God-given freedom to be a free agent. We invite all to diligently study, analyze, and participate in this democratic process!

WHY? Ewa Beach Post Office headed for Closure in Oahu

“Makes no sense at all”: Ewa Beach Post Office headed for closure

“The Ewa Beach Station is housed in a building owned by City, and the rent is just $4,404   a year.  The structure is in good shape, and there’s ample parking.  The proposal to close says that the post office building is “not listed as a historic landmark.”  It’s true that the building isn’t on the National Register of Historic Places, but it is a local landmark and many people like the old timey feel of the place, which is associated with the fact Ewa Planation goes back 150 years.  The post office structure It was built in 1958, making it eligible for the National Register, which uses fifty years old as a benchmark. ”

” The Ewa Federal Credit Union is next door to the post office and one of its best customers, so it’s putting up a fight against the closure.  The Credit Union would be severely impacted, since it would need to send an employee seven miles round trip every day to the next nearest post office.

Average citizens are joining in the fight as well.  Customer Vera Kaaikaula has started a petition drive, and she has gotten more than 500 signatures. “