Dear Mayor Hannemann,
I am writing on behalf of my East Oahu constituents from Hawaii Kai
to Diamond Head, the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, and myself to ask you and Mr. Henry Eng, director of the City Department of Planning and
Permitting, to deny the application from a company called QRM also known as Moanalua Properties, which is seeking permission to build 180, 800-square-foot cabins on Henry J. Kaiser’s last remaining undeveloped parcels of land near Ka Iwi State Park.
Several hundred people turned out to hear a presentation on the
project Tuesday June 27 during which the developer’s spokesperson said the
Queen’s Rise Recreation Center would be located on a 98-acre parcel of land
surrounded by privately owned conservation land; and the Mauuwai
Recreational Center is set to be built on an 83-acre parcel above the
privately owned Hawaii Kai Golf Course.
He said very little else and was ill prepared to give answers the
community sought. The developer’s spokesman could not answer questions
about traffic or environmental impact studies, the stability of soil or
anything else of such significance. He also has refused to answer any
questions from the media and has referred all calls to his public relations
company, Communications Pacific.
Unfortunately the way the law reads, the developer can build the
cabins, which are actually hotel-like-units with kitchens and lanais, if
your planning department says it is a “permitted use.”
No follow up from him or his company is required with the public,
the council or your office, unless your DPP department says so by denying
the application.
We are asking you to ensure this project is stamped as an
“unpermitted use” so the developer will have to seek a zoning change and
thereby allow the city council and the community more time to learn about
the project and the ability to have input.
Hawaii Kai is a wonderful community but it is overbuilt and
becoming increasingly crowded, due to several developments completed within
the last four years that have blocked mountain views, ocean views and
tradewinds, while breaking pledges and presentations made to the community.
The community is angry about these projects because in many cases,
the developers blatantly lied about what the final designs and density
would be, and there were no consequences from the government.
Because of one project in Hawaii Kai, the green mountain is
permanently scarred with an expansive black hole covering its entire width-
the massive scar was left by explosives used to cut into the mountain and
the environment has never recovered and nothing has been done to force the
developer to repair the damage left behind.
As you well know, I am not anti-development. But Ka Iwi is one of
the few last open spaces in Hawaii Kai and the people from Waimanalo to
Diamond Head turned out by the hundreds to the neighborhood board meeting
to ask the board to vote to keep it that way. The board unanimously voted
against the project.
Hawaii Kai residents are fed up with over development from arrogant
developers who don’t even think enough of us to tell us the truth or agree
to follow up presentations or even to putting up a Web site. These are not
homes being developed, these are hotel units disguised as “cabins” to avoid
permitting issues.
Please support our request to deny the application and let the
public have input into the future of one of their last remaining natural
resources on this side of the island. It will be a win-win decision for
your administration.
Mahalo for your prompt consideration.
Aloha,
”’Sam Slom is a state Senator representing district 8 from Hawaii Kai to Diamond Head. Reach him via email at”’ mailto:sbh@lava.net
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