Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Musings: From the Inside Out

A white moon just a whisker short of half was darting amongst the clouds beneath the steady gaze of Jupiter when Koko, Paele and I went walking this morning. Along toward the end, of both the road and our walk, pink began to creep out and claim first the sky and then the land, infusing it all with rosy color.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the land lately, particularly the battles over how to use it, because I just completed a piece on the state’s Legislature’s thoughtful gift to the people — or at least, the people with connections, the people with investment capital. I’m talking about the Public Land Development Corp., a Honolulu-centric entity with the power to run roughshod over any local development concerns, much less cultural, environmental and historical considerations.

The PLDC seems to be aiming the final shot between the eyes at all those who have struggled since statehood to bring some sanity into the land development process; to look out for the interests of poor folks and cultural sites displaced and destroyed, respectively, for some dubious project or another; to level the incredibly uneven playing field that exists between economic growth and cultural-environmental protection.

I’d been thinking about it before I even started the article, while researching a book chapter on Kauai land struggles stemming from the 1970s. The list read like a sad litany of battles lost: Niumalu-Nawiliwili, Nukuolii, the Hyatt, the Westin (now Marriott), Running Waters, and in more recent years, Kealia Kai, Kealanani, Grove Farm’s ugly oozings all around Lihue, the travesty of Kukuiula, the two new Coconut Marketplace resorts — unbuilt, but still alive — and Joe Brescia’s house, built atop the bones of people who once were alive.

Sure, there were small successful skirmishes along the way, little bits of land here and there tucked away in conservation easements, accesses given as others were taken away, costly delays, a Supreme Court ruling on shorelines that the state and county continue to ignore.

But in looking back over the past 40 years, pretty much every developer who came to Kauai has gotten his way. And when they were stymied, ever so briefly and slightly, by the County Council’s moratorium on resorts, they simply turned the entire North Shore into a resort, via vacation rentals, and then bullied the county until it caved in and legalized their illegal minihotels, even those on agricultural land.

All the heated public hearings, the contested cases, the lawsuits, the protests, the pickets, the arrests, have pretty much come to naught.

Attempts to make changes through the system have hit similar dead-ends. Just look at what the county is trying to do to the citizen’s charter amendment on growth. We’ve even watched in dismay as former land use activist Jimmy Nishida turned coat and sided with developers once he got appointed to the Planning Commission.

(Speaking of which, how many meetings is a commissioner, even a lousy one, allowed to skip? Jimmy has been missing in action for many months now. It’s time for him to resign, so the mayor can appoint another rubber stamp.)

My point in all of this is there’s got to be another way, a better way, to influence land use decisions. The current approach has not worked. It will be even less effective in a crappy economy, where it’s gonna be even more all about the money, honey. And it's going to prove especially ineffective under the PLDC process, which gives citizens just one opportunity, at a Board of Land and Natural Resources hearing, to comment on proposals to transfer public land and development rights to private investors, who in turn are exempted from all zoning and building code restrictions.

Yup, the door has been opened really, really wide. It’s time for those of us who care about the Hawaiian culture and the natural world to develop some new strategies for resisting the relentless push to give it all away for mere pennies on the dollar.

From what I've seen, major change cannot be affected within the current narrow, corrupt political system. We need to stop bashing our heads against that hardening concrete wall, stop fighting the battle on their terms, in their arenas.

The only thing that will help us now is a complete overhaul of our institutions, starting with our own values, actions, beliefs that, inadvertent or not, still serve to perpetuate the injustices, the wrongs, the destruction and desecration.

In short, we need to wage a revolution from the inside out.

Fortunately, it’s already under way. Wake up, get conscious, and join us. The hour is getting late.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! Shine the light on this Joan! Illegal TVR's, the loss of AG land, introduction of GMO's, water rights abuses all need to be exposed. The potential monster PLDC is worrisome.

I hope you also expose how so called leaders have sold out including from Kamehameha V selling off Niihau, to Princess Ruth selling off Nawiliwili & Niumalu, to Mayor Kusaka selling off Kealia, and to Pierce Brosnan and Julia Roberts buying up property & raising the prices for locals who are often living 3 or 4 generations under one roof. Abuses need to be exposed. Mahalo.

Anonymous said...

On the subject of land use, a report by Dan Rather on HD Net.

Subject of GMO use of pesticide and it's impacts on bees. Something we must consider.

http://www.hd.net/programs/danrather/

Scroll to the bottom

Anonymous said...

Greed. Corruption. All fueled by, you guessed it, MONEY! When, oh when, will we put money in its place? It does have a rightful place, doesn't it? Aue. Aue. Aue.

Anonymous said...

Not so fast. You must not have read the law you linked to. It says

The plan shall include: Protection of culturally-sensitive areas

The public land planning activities of the corporation shall be coordinated with the county planning departments and the county land use plans, policies, and ordinances.

Joan Conrow said...

Mmm, it seems you conveniently left out the first part of the section you referenced:

projects pursuant to this chapter shall be exempt from all statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules of any government agency relating to special improvement district assessments or requirements; land use, zoning, and construction standards for subdivisions, development, and improvement of land; and the construction, improvement, and sale of homes thereon;

Anonymous said...

Keep complaining....keep whining....keep pointing fingers...never take responsibility yourself...never actually do anything....never blame a local....it's all about respect?

Anonymous said...

Jimmy let so many bad things thru when he was chair of the PC, including Brescia house. Total sell out.

Anonymous said...

You are wrong about Jimmy, he knows the law (better than you), perhaps his hiatus has more to do with his thoughts about the direction of the planning department.

Joan Conrow said...

Jimmy's missing meetings because of his new job. It has nothing to do with the direction the planning dept. is taking.

Anonymous said...

"perhaps his hiatus has more to do with his thoughts about the direction of the planning department."
what direction? I haven't seen anything, just the status quo continueing.
Jimmy neva once voted with the people, his vote rubber stamped whatever planning and the attorney's told him to do
If he's not there for meetings, he should be replaced.Planning, what planning? The commission is a bad joke.

Anonymous said...

(Speaking of which, how many meetings is a commissioner, even a lousy one, allowed to skip? Jimmy has been missing in action for many months now. It’s time for him to resign, so the mayor can appoint another rubber stamp.)

Jimmy's missing meetings because of his new job. It has nothing to do with the direction the planning dept. is taking.


if you knew this, why didn't you write it? don't you two work together? Nice things to say about your co-worker.

Anonymous said...

http://www.kauai.gov/Government/Departments/PersonnelServices/tabid/60/Default.aspx

doen't look like they are advertising for a new anything...

Anonymous said...

does anyone know where or when the planning commission will be advertising for a real planning director? Or has that person already been selected and vetted by the Mayor's right and left hands and the Planning Commission gets to have nothing to do or say it like dahilig?

Anonymous said...

Wake up, get conscious, and join us. The hour is getting late.

Or, as the old song goes:
Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
It's later than you think.