COMMENTARY
Fight O'ahu urban crawl with knowledge
By Larry McElheny
Urban sprawl, gentrification, overflowing landfills, sewage spills, restrictions on water usage, frequent traffic gridlock, infrastructure and maintenance costs and the resulting soaring taxes. These are powerful indications that the carrying capacity of these Islands has been exceeded.
Then, after decades of little or no enforcement, some good news — Judge Randy Ibarra's decision upholding restrictions on the urbanization of agriculturally zoned land. And now, although the specific Hokuli'a controversy has apparently been resolved via a compromise, the big picture for Hawai'i's land-use law remains murky.
The self-created "Hokuli'a crisis" has generated misinformation and misleading media coverage and — more dangerously — potentially far-reaching and damaging changes regarding Hawai'i's land-use law.
Since we live on islands with finite resources, it is critical that discussions surrounding the land-use law and its application be as factual and rational as possible. Unfortunately, this is not the case, with proposed changes to the current law most likely creating more problems than they would solve.
Particularly worrisome is the relaxing of the restrictions on residential uses within the agricultural district (as was proposed in House Bill 1368). Opening Hawai'i's agricultural lands to more development would have very serious implications. The current restrictions should be tightened, not relaxed.
There is an opportunity here to develop a fuller appreciation of the rationale behind the current land-use law that to a large degree has successfully prevented Hawai'i from becoming completely paved over by urbanization:
Therefore, most claims that more lands need to be opened up to urbanization are unreasonable from a planning perspective; in fact, these claims are factually, legally and historically incorrect. Nearly 200,000 acres have been reclassified from agriculture since the implementation of the land-use law.
Perhaps more importantly, these claims obscure a powerful question regarding how much "urban" designation and use the Islands can sustain.
Any person advocating more urbanization of agricultural lands should at least take a look at O'ahu land-use maps to see how much is already open to urbanization.
The first step in preserving these precious Islands is to be well informed — about the land-use law and about who wants it changed.
The second step is insisting on decision-making that is based on facts, not self-serving and misleading rhetoric from developers and their multitude of publicists, consultants, lawyers and lobbyists.
The third step is to contact your elected representatives and let them know that you expect Hawai'i's land-use law to be enforced, not diluted.
Larry McElheny is a longtime North Shore resident and community leader with regard to environmental and land-use issues. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.
