Ohana Hale Marketplace in Kaka’ako Tenants have to vacate by April 16, 2022. This start-up incubator hub for about 100 small businesses opened in 2018. The tenants supposedly have a 10-year lease from Landlord Howard Hughes. Apparently, there must be a clause that allows the landlord to terminate earlier.

This is just an inkling of what will be happening to small businesses and owners as gentrification continues to encroach on Oahu’s small businesses. Not only are commercial spaces for mom-and-pop businesses hard to find, the leases are becoming too expensive.

These is also another impending landscape change that most residents may not appear to be aware of.

Here is an article that I wrote in CIVIL BEAT on November 12, 2012 about future upheaval and displacement. It will be the small mom-and-pop outfits that will be most affected.

Rail’s Transit-Oriented Development An Assault on Private Property

(Excerpts)

” At each of the proposed 21 rail stations, the city wants TODs “within half a mile radius” vicinity.

At each of the proposed 21 rail stations, the city wants TODs “within half a mile radius” vicinity. The proposed rail stations are located at every mile; this means the whole land area along the entire 21-mile rail corridor is up for grabs. “Half a mile radius” sounds so harmless!

To covet and seize an additional 20 square miles area along this rail corridor on our small island pose a huge economical, social and cultural impact!

It’s not as if private owners can easily relocate down the road. Family inheritances, investments, and businesses built with sweat, equity, and sacrifices will be placed under the mercy of absolute powers of eminent domain. Kama’aina owners and businesses will be pushed out to pave the way for national and international investors. 

Here in Hawaii, we observe a similar “revitalization” process has been set in motion. City “experts” are holding “Community Visioning” meetings to discuss “Neighborhood TOD Planning”. 

The city wants to “take advantage of rail to its optimal level” and to “concentrate population” along this rail corridor.

The dangerous potential for the city to seize 21 square miles of private properties for transfer to private investors has to be reckoned with, today. The proposed Honolulu Rail is not only ugly, noisy, and a black hole for Oahu’s taxpayers; its accompanied TOD is a direct assault on private property rights. 

No Oahu residents should sit idly by and condone such autocratic land-use plans for our island home. It is wrong. It’s dangerous. It’s unAmerican. It goes against the core tenets of our free society.

City planning and developments must conform within the constitutional parameters of private property rights. This should have been a big part of the public deliberations. Any “exemption” laws to skirt this right must be rejected. Too many big decisions have been manipulated and controlled by raw crony capitalism and special interests. Private property owners continue to trampled on and pushed aside by the big boys.

We must take our government back.”