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Yes its the elected officials, but more importantly its the system that is broken and caters to special interests first. Hawaii has a history of not voting. It isn't because we just don't want to vote. There is a lack of trust in the system by locals for the most part. This isn't paranoia, this is from watching foriegn interests and money take front seat over local community concerns for generations. This broken system is from the mainland. Thou voting is low all over the country its not as low as hawaii.
I disagree on local people trying to keep politicians in line and accountable and not doing it as the issue. Ive seen many examples where communities have had majority of people signing petitions opposing big box stores, pearl city was an example of this, approached city council to be ignored. Ive seen communities argue and won in city council meetings only to be overturned by the courts from a motion from big money. Today there is a big push against the Kaka'ako redevelpment.
over concerns about infrastructure. But experience has shown that the redevelpment will happen anyway. How many sacred burial grounds or temples have been destroyed in the name of progress? What is happening on the big island with the eruption is the first time ive heard cultural and responsibility first over diverstion. But i doubt that would happen in oahu if diamond head got active?
Anyway here is a great video on the concerns about Kaka'ako. Its long but good.
And your point bruddah? So greed is universal and character defects are too, so no harm no foul?
You're probably fighting a losing battle. Keep in mind that before General Growth Properties purchased Ala Moana in 1999, it was owned by Daiei, a Japanese supermarket chain based in Ōsaka. One needs to realize that all decisions concerning the development of Ala Moana and the surrounding area aren't made in Honolulu. Folks based in Ōsaka, Chicago, Tōkyō, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. usually have a greater impact on development in Honolulu than Hawaiʻi locals.
A lot of people would be very interested in buildings much higher than Diamond Head. It is a silly rule and inhibits growth. Hong Kong is a fantastic example of a great island city. Build an 80 story tower, I'm definitely taking serious interest in a unit. A lot of people would be very interested.
At least intil hurricane type winds happen then its bug out! No the rule was intended to keep the view free. I got to be honest here are you sure you are not at the point where you are taking things for grantted? It happens and easy to do when each day is almost the same everyday in hawaii?
You're probably fighting a losing battle. Keep in mind that before General Growth Properties purchased Ala Moana in 1999, it was owned by Daiei, a Japanese supermarket chain based in Ōsaka. One needs to realize that all decisions concerning the development of Ala Moana and the surrounding area aren't made in Honolulu. Folks based in Ōsaka, Chicago, Tōkyō, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. usually have a greater impact on development in Honolulu than Hawaiʻi locals.
Exactly! Mahalo. And this has always been a losing fight since the beginning of time my bruddah. Which kinda says something about mankind not learning from past history. Daiei, yes i remember them. They replaced holiday mart on the islands. I appreciated there unique store.
At least intil hurricane type winds happen then its bug out! No the rule was intended to keep the view free.
High rises, if built correctly - withstand hurricane force winds very well - much more so than many of the flimsy houses of the island.
To keep the view free? I'm thinking what an awesome view I'd have from the 80th floor.
There isn't any view from downtown anyway - just a bunch of other buildings. There isn't anything to see anyway unless you go up so you can see the view.
High rises, if built correctly - withstand hurricane force winds very well - much more so than many of the flimsy houses of the island.
To keep the view free? I'm thinking what an awesome view I'd have from the 80th floor.
There isn't any view from downtown anyway - just a bunch of other buildings. There isn't anything to see anyway unless you go up so you can see the view.
Here you go my friend da aloha spirit. This is kinda old school oahu. You should get a kick out of it. See if you reconise something?
A lot of people would be very interested in buildings much higher than Diamond Head. It is a silly rule and inhibits growth. Hong Kong is a fantastic example of a great island city. Build an 80 story tower, I'm definitely taking serious interest in a unit. A lot of people would be very interested.
The problem is developers are granted the right to double the density of their structure but the additional profit they make from the wildly higher building density they receive is not relative to the "affordable" housing that is built in exchange.
Why should the developer/landowner be rewarded a MASSIVE windfall because someone at the state swipes the pen across a piece of paper allowing for higher building density? Shouldn't THE PEOPLE also reap these rewards? Since we have to endure looking at these monstrosities that destroy our view planes for perpetuity, shouldn't we at least be provided better public services in exchange? Maybe a reduction in taxes? Something???? The "affordable" housing that is required to be built is NOT appurtenant to the additional density they receive with these new height restriction waivers.
I agree with you that developers should be allowed to build whatever the heck they want to build but that means adhering to the Land Use Ordinance as written, not receiving exception after exception that ultimately provides them massive windfall profits.
"Up-zoning" precious (but dirt cheap) ag land is no different than height restriction waivers. Castle and Cooke and DR Horton owned ag-zoned land that was worth about $20-$40 cents/SF. With a swipe of the pen, their land skyrocketed by nearly 100X. That is a 10,000% profit margin with a swipe of a pen. This is not exchanging money like most people understand it. They literally created money OUT OF THIN AIR. And the locals have to come up with their hard earned money to pay developers for something they literally created out of thin air. And even better, the traffic infrastructure improvements that these developers are required to build (in areas serviced by the train) are mostly waived due to all the bent-over taxpayers (that's you and me) footing the bill for rail. Yes, rail is enriching these West Oahu landowners/developers by having us foot the bill for improvements they would normally have to pay for.
Meanwhile, all the small time developers working on small time projects are stuck adhering to Land Use Ordinance requirements. They have to make the numbers work after paying market for the land they are building on.
If the state makes ANY exemptions on density requirements (i.e. up-zoning of land, increases in building height restrictions), The People should benefit equally with the developers. As it stands, we just end up paying for it. It's the typical way of business in Hawaii.
And I entirely agree with HBH on all of this. While we can't tell the developers what they can and can't do with their land, we can definitely make them share their profits with us. The city already does this through the "Park Dedication Fee" that ALL developers have to pay regardless how luxurious or basic the project is. The government is supposed to be an extension of the public; if WE are making these gross exceptions for developers which ultimately land them insane profits, we should all share in them. Otherwise stick to the rules and build what you're allowed to - BY THE BOOK.
While we can't tell the developers what they can and can't do with their land, we can definitely make them share their profits with us.
We will have to hopefully agree to disagree.
I'm always up for a good debate until it turns outlandish and extremist by people who don't live in Hawaii.
My position is that it needs to be far more harder to live in Hawaii to sustain Hawaii. Sharing profits with us - I just can't agree - that is a growth strategy. Our property taxes for example are way to low - they need to be much higher to inhibit growth. If you make it to easy to live in Hawaii then the islands can't sustain itself.
Looking at my tax bill of my property in SF, I think to myself that property tax should be 10X than what it is in Hawaii. Make it 10X - and education should improve and it will seriously weed out who can live here. Oahu is a 20 x 40 mile island - it needs less growth or even downsizing - and my perspective is to price people out of the market. And for those who worry about the burger flippers, I just came back from SF and there was no lack of burger flippers despite how much more expensive it is to live in SF despite a higher min wage.
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
My position is that it needs to be far more harder to live in Hawaii to sustain Hawaii. Sharing profits with us - I just can't agree - that is a growth strategy. Our property taxes for example are way to low - they need to be much higher to inhibit growth. If you make it to easy to live in Hawaii then the islands can't sustain itself.
Looking at my tax bill of my property in SF, I think to myself that property tax should be 10X than what it is in Hawaii. Make it 10X - and education should improve and it will seriously weed out who can live here. Oahu is a 20 x 40 mile island - it needs less growth or even downsizing - and my perspective is to price people out of the market. And for those who worry about the burger flippers, I just came back from SF and there was no lack of burger flippers despite how much more expensive it is to live in SF despite a higher min wage.
That's some truly frightening rhetoric.
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