Meetings on farm zoning to begin
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer
Public meetings begin tonight on a proposal by Mayor Jeremy Harris to put 87,000 acres of prime agricultural lands in special protection zones designed to keep such lands green "in perpetuity."
Harris announced the program in his State of the City speech. Managing director Ben Lee said that most of the land is already zoned for agriculture. He said it is outside the urban growth boundaries defined in the various sustainable communities plans that have been adopted so far.
Lee said the proposal would make it more difficult to change the agricultural zoning to allow development later. Once land is included in the special classification, a zone change would require both the support of the state Agriculture Department and a two-thirds vote of support from the City Council. (That would require a majority of six instead of the usual majority of five.)
Council Zoning Committee Chairman Romy Cachola said that he has not had a chance to review the Harris plan.
He said he can't comment yet "because to me that's a very sensitive proposal."
Lee said it's important to protect open space before development occurs "and we can't get it back." He said there is more than enough land available for appropriate development.
Lee said the plan "discourages land speculation or land banking in hopes of future development" while it ensures that there will be affordable lands to farm.
He said he doesn't think the proposal would unfairly boost the value of land already zoned for development. "It's not pulling up the drawbridge because the urban growth boundary allows for thousands and thousands more homes to be developed" in various parts of O'ahu.
Island-wide presentations are scheduled:
- Tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at Kapolei Hale in the first-floor conference room at 1000 Ulu'ohia Street.
- Tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wai'anae District Park multi-purpose building (at the left side of the driveway) at 85-601 Farrington Highway (on the makai side of the highway and across from Wai'anae Intermediate School).
- Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Human Resources Conference Room, City Hall Annex at 550 S. King Street.
- Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach Park multi-purpose building (also known as the Hale'iwa Surf Center) at 66-167 Hale'iwa Road.
- Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kane'ohe Community and Senior Center at 45-613 Pu'ohala Street (on the makai side of Kane'ohe Bay Drive, across from Castle High School).
- Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wahiawa District Park in the Ho'okipa Building at 1139-A Kilani Avenue (entrance is from the parking lot off of Kilani Avenue).
For a copy of the proposal and a map showing where the lands are that are being proposed for inclusion in the zones, check the City's Department of Planning and Permitting Web site.