The city's permitting pro-cess is not always a perfect system.

But sometimes, the system does work the way it should.

Consider the outcome of a proposed 15-unit condominium development in an established neighborhood of older single-family homes in 'Aina Haina.

Worried about the shifting hillside, problems with rockfall and the strain on the drainage system, residents of the neighborhood took their concerns to the folks at the city's Department of Planning and Permitting.

Then they got precisely what they felt they deserved: results.

City officials rejected the project, largely based on the validity of the concerns of these 'Aina Haina residents. The letter from the department director, Henry Eng, to developer Kent Untermann confirmed the issues raised regarding the project's impact. Eng's letter correctly recognized that project was incompatible with the area, with too much of the condominium cluster on a sloping hillside. Eng also noted the scale of the project, as well as the negative impacts on existing roads. But the key factor was that the proposal simply seemed out of place in the neighborhood of single-family homes.

The developer can certainly come back and adjust his plans. But cases like this are good examples for the public to see.

A fair process that works assures us that what gets built will be in the best interests of the entire community.