Tag: Wai’anae

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Action Alert: Keep Waianae Country! Stop industrial encroachment on agricultural land!

Developers want to change agricultural land to industrial in the heart of Lualualei valley in Wai’anae, some of the richest and most productive farm lands in Hawai’i.

The Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan is coming before the City Council on Nov. 2nd (1pm, Kapolei Hale).

1. Please send letters to the council members through this link sponsored by KAHEA.

2. Come to the hearing to testify in person and/or show support with signs etc. See instructions below on how to testify.

3. Send in written testimony online at this link.

The key issue is to remove the “purple spot” (agricultural land rezoned to industrial) from the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.  Waianae and Ewa residents should also contact Tom Berg with your concerns. As the Council Member for the district, his position will be influential.

CITY COUNCIL

PUBLIC HEARING

  DATE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
  PLACE: KAPOLEI HALE

CONFERENCE ROOMS A, B, C

1000 ULUOHIA STREET

KAPOLEI, HAWAII  96707
  TIME: 1 P.M.
     
 
Bill 50, CD1 (Exhibit A) – Amending the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.  (Amending Chapter 24, Article 9, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu and replacing the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.)
     
 
Bill 54 – Relating to stored property.  Establishing a procedure for the removal and disposal of personal property stored on public property.)
     

SPEAKER REGISTRATION

¨         Prior to the Day of the Meeting

Persons wishing to testify on the above-mentioned public hearing items may register by:

a.    using the On‑Line City Council Speaker Registration form available at http://www.honolulu.gov/council/attnspkph.htm;

b.    sending a fax to 768-3826 indicating your desire to register to speak, along with your name, phone number and subject matter;

c.    filling out the registration form in person; or

d.    calling 768-3814.

¨         On-site on the Day of the Meeting

Registration on-site for the above-mentioned public hearing items will be from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Persons who have not registered to testify by the deadline will be given an opportunity to present oral testimony on an item following the registered speakers by raising their hand at the time additional speakers are called upon.

Each speaker shall not have anyone else read their statement and is limited to a three‑minute presentation.

WRITTEN TESTIMONY – Prior to the Day of the Meeting

If you wish to submit written testimony:

a.    fax to 768-3826 or

b.    go to http://www.honolulu.gov/council/emailph.htm to e‑mail your written testimony.

15 copies are requested if written testimony is submitted on-site.

By submitting written testimony, you are not automatically registered to speak.  Refer to “SPEAKER REGISTRATION” procedures above.

If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifier’s address, e-mail address and phone number, may be posted by the City Clerk and available to the public on the City’s DocuShare Website.

Any physically challenged person requiring special assistance should call 768-3814 for details at least one day prior to the meeting date.

Copies of the Bills and any amendments thereto are available at the City Clerk’s Office, Room 203, Honolulu Hale or on-line at http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare.

CITY COUNCIL

CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU

ERNEST Y. MARTIN, CHAIR

 

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Action Alert: TOMORROW Protect Farm Land in Lualualei!

Action Alert:  Protect Farm Land in Lualualei!

Wai’anae may lose valuable farm land in Lualualei if the proposed draft of the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan (WSCP) is adopted by the Honolulu City Council.  The present draft of the WSCP would result in a loss of agricultural land and threaten to open the door to future industrial and urban encroachment.

The most critical issue is stopping a proposed industrial park in Lualualei (the notorious ‘purple spot’).   The majority of Wai’anae residents who participated in planning sessions and testified on the plan opposed the industrial park, but the industrial park was included in the proposed plan by the City planners.

The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning will have a hearing on the draft Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan, TOMORROW, September 29, 2011 at 9:00 am at the Honolulu Hale Committee Meeting Room.

Help save valuable agricultural land in Lualualei Valley from being paved over for an industrial park!  

Please testify in person or submit written testimony.    OPPOSE the current draft of the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan.

In person (one-minute presentation): Register by 9 AM:

  • Use the On-Line City Council Speaker Registration form available at http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/attnspkzp.htm;

  • Send a fax to 768-3827 indicating your desire to register to speak, along with your name, phone number and subject matter

  • Fill out the registration form in person or call 768-3815.

Written:

By submitting written testimony, you are not automatically registered to speak.  Refer to “SPEAKER REGISTRATION” procedures above.

If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifier’s address, e-mail address, and phone number, may be posted by the City Clerk and available to the public on the City’s DocuShare Website.

Here is the link to the Council Committee on Zoning and Planning Agenda.

Some points you can make in your testimony:

  • Amend the plan to remove the proposed industrial park in Lualualei.
  1. The proposed industrial park in Lualualei is a blatant example of ‘spot zoning’ that caters to special interests over and above the long term interests of the community and violates good planning principles. The purple spot will disrupt the integrity of the agricultural lands in that area, making the area more susceptible to urban development in the future.
  2. O’ahu cannot afford to lose any more farm land.   Lualualei has some of the most fertile soil for farming.  No can eat concrete!  Stop the urban ‘cancer’ from spreading.  Young people in Wai’anae want to farm but are frustrated by the shortage of available land.
  3. The proposed site of the industrial development is known as the birthplace of Maui, the Demigod, one of the great heroes and dieties in Hawaiian legends.  Constructing an industrial park on this site would be a violation of this cultural signifcant area.
  4. There is not justification for the industrial park.  Demand for industrial park space is weak, with many vacant sites in Campbell Industrial park just down the road.
  • No highway through Pohakea pass.  This road would destroy a cultural significant area, where the goddess Hi’iaka crossed from Wai’anae to ‘Ewa.  Some say a highway through Pohakea will be a disaster like the H-3 freeway that destroyed many sacred sites and threatened endangered species.  Kolekole Road can be improved and access negotiated with the Navy and the Army for a second access road to Wai’anae.
  • No new landfills in Wai’anae.   Wai’anae is a victim of environmental racism.  Stop dumping on Wai’anae.   Ban future landfill development in Wai’anae.
  • Restore and recover military lands for environmentally and culturally sustainable uses, with a priority on agriculture and restoration of traditional cultural uses.  Keep the language in the plan that calls for the return of military-controlled land to the community.

All people have a fundamental human right to live in a clean and healthy environment and to determine their future cultural, economic and social development.   The Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan must not be hijacked by powerful and wealthy interests seeking to impose their profit-driven model of development that is harmful to the long-term well-being and sustainability of Wai’anae.

For more information see:

DMZ-Hawai’i / Aloha ‘Aina

KAHEA

Hawaii Independent

 

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Army finishes ordnance clearing off Waianae coast

The AP reports that the army completed a demonstration project to remove underwater unexploded ordnance from “ordnance reef” off the Wai’anae coast using unmanned underwater vehicles:

The Army said Friday it recovered 74 pieces of decades-old exploded ordnance from the ocean floor off Oahu’s Waianae coast during a three-week effort to clear out most of the munitions the military dumped in the area years ago.

The cleanup also recovered 2,300 small arms munitions, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii said in a news release.

The Army left alone munitions so encrusted with coral that removing them would have damaged the reef. Using a remote controlled robot, the cleanup team attempted to recover more than 150 small, medium and large items that appeared to be weapons. It got 80 of these, but six turned out to not be munitions.

It destroyed more than 330 pounds of explosives, 135 pounds of propellant, and all of the small arms munitions recovered.

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Army recovers 32 underwater munitions from “ordnance reef”

The AP reports:

The Army has recovered 32 munitions from the ocean floor off the Waianae Coast this month during a project to clear away most of the weapons the military dumped there decades ago.

Of these 12 were treated to remove and destroy the explosive contents.  But the not all munitions found are being removed:

It’s been difficult for the robot to remove the weapons as coral growth has basically cemented many to the ocean floor. The Army is leaving heavily coral encrusted munitions in place.

There are an estimated 2,000 weapons in the area nicknamed “Ordnance Reef.”

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Making Waves: Defending Ka’ena

Making Waves: Defending Ka’ena, Episode 55

Length: 0:27
Social issues & cultural programming dedicated to peace and social justice.
7/19/2011 Tue 9:30 am, Channel NATV Channel 53
Or streaming online:  http://olelo.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=30&clip_id=21987

I speak with Summer Mullins and Uncle Fred Mullins about their efforts to protect Ka’ena from the scourge of off-roaders destroying the sand dunes with their mud bogging, drunken crashes, bonfires and garbage. According to Uncle Fred Mullins, 90% of the offenders are military.  We show some video and photos from Ka’ena.

Also, you can watch past episodes online.

Making Waves, Episode 54 “No Can Eat Concrete!”

I speak with Wai’anae kupuna, Auntie Alice Greenwood (Concerned Elders of Wai’anae) and Candace Fujikane (UH Manoa English Professor) about the struggle for environmental justice to preserve Wai’anae’s cultural sites and agricultural lands from industrial encroachment.

Making Waves, Episode 51, “Violence and the Military Culture”

Darlene Rodrigues speaks with Col. Ann Wright about the epidemic of violence against women in the military and discuss how the military culture exacerbates the violence.

 

 

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Army to test underwater robots for removal of unexploded ordnance off Waiʻanae

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that Army demonstrated a remote-controlled underwater robot it will test for possible use to remove unexploded munitions off the Waiʻanae coast at a location known as “ordnance reef”.

The Army said it will begin a 21-day trial run Monday of a remote-controlled submersible designed to remove discarded military munitions from the ocean floor off the Waianae Coast.

The area called Ordnance Reef is littered with more than 2,000 World War II-era munitions including grenades, bullets, bullet casings and bombs, the Army said.

Officials will use the trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the vehicle to collect munitions, as well as gauge any damage to the reef. If the trial is a success, full-scale removal operations could begin next year.

[…]

Munitions would be brought to a barge equipped with equipment to destroy the munitions, in most cases by cutting them up and baking them in a specially designed oven to render explosive material inert.

The project has an estimated cost of $2.5 million to $6 million, including the $1 million cost of the submersible.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Nanakuli industrial park dead

As we reported previously, the Wai’anae community won a major victory by stopping the proposed industrial park encroachment into agricultural land in Lualualei.  The struggle is not over however.  The landowner may try again to rezone the property, and a parallel struggle is taking place over the Wai’anae Sustainable Community Plan, which was modified in its latest draft to include the spot zoning of industrial land at the Tropic Land site and a proposed highway through Lualualei via Pohakea Pass.  The Pohakea pass was slipped into the plan after it had been debated extensively by the community.  It reveals the long term goals of the politicians and developers to bank on a future industrial corridor through Lualualei.

There is already an access road through Lualualei via Kolekole Pass.  If the Navy and Army opened up access, it could serve to alleviate the traffic congestion around the Kahe Point area.

Meanwhile, it is a good time to begin knocking on the Navy’s door to close down Lualualei Naval Communications Center and Naval Magazine to convert it into sustainable civilian uses.

Lualualei has some of the richest agricultural soil in Hawai’i.  The amazing results of MA’O farms is a testament to the productivity of this ‘aina and the potential for food sovereignty.

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http://thehawaiiindependent.com/story/land-use-commission-denies-industrial-park-petition

Land Use Commission denies industrial park petition

Apr 25, 2011 – 09:25 AM | by Samson Kaala Reiny

The State Land Use Commission has denied Tropic Land LLC’s petition to allow a light industrial park’s construction on Lualualei valley farmland.

Of the eight Commissioners present (absent was Maui Rep. Lisa Judge), three –- Normand Lezy, Charles Jencks, and Ronald Heller –- denied the motion for approval made by Duane Kanuha. Land boundary amendments require a supermajority of six votes for approval.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Nanakuli industrial park dead

A refusal to alter the site’s zoning scuttles a project planned for Lualualei Valley

Plans to establish an industrial park in Nana­kuli were derailed Thursday when the proj­ect’s developer failed to win enough state Land Use Commission votes to change the zoning.

The land, once used to grow sugar cane, is now zoned for preservation.

The 96-acre proj­ect in Lua­lua­lei Valley had drawn some opposition for furthering conversion of farmland in the area but also had won praise for its promise to create jobs and business opportunities in an economically disadvantaged region.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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A Win for Environmental Justice! People of Wai’anae Save Farmland

The people of Wai’anae won a big victory for environmental justice. KAHEA reports, “Tropic Land’s petition for a boundary amendment to allow an industrial park on fertile farmland was DENIED today, April 21, 2011.”  The post continues:

The Petitioner recognized that Commissioners had concerns about the proposed industrial park, especially whether they had access to use the Navy-owned road to leads to the property site.  So in a last minute hail-mary, the Petitioner told the Commission that the Navy was now considering dedicating the land to the City.  Interestingly, the City’s attorney did not know about the proposed dedication.

The Elders reminded the Commission that for six years the Navy and the City negotiated over dedicating the Lualualei Naval Access Road, which did not result in any change in the ownership or use of the road.  The question of proper access to the property is something Tropic Land should have figured out long before proposing a permanent change in the land use designation of their property.

This is a campaign that began back in 2009 when the Wai’anae Environmental Justice Working Group was formed.    Ka Makani Kaiaulu o Wai’anae youth participated in documenting and raising awareness about the issues related to the encroachment of industrial and military activity into farm land, protection of cultural sites, including the important sites pertaining to Maui the demigod, and health effects of environmental contamination.

Congratulations and thanks go out to the Concerned Elders of Wai’anae, the Wai’anae Environmental Justice Working Group, KAHEA, MA’O Farms and the many groups and individuals who worked on this campaign. For now the agricultural land in Lualualei will be spared an industrial onslaught.   However, the threat is still looming, and struggle continues on another front.  The City and County of Honolulu Planning Commission is in the process of reviewing and receiving public comments on the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan (WSCP). The community has long fought to preserve the natural, cultural and human waiwai (wealth) of Wai’anae, but this latest version of the plan includes an invasive ‘spot’ of industrial use where the Tropic Land LLC industrial park is proposed in the middle of agricultural land.    Yesterday, I testified in the second of two long days of hearings on the WSCP.  The Planning Commission will make a decision on the plan in May.

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Wai’anae voices its support for preserving agricultural land

On November 10, 2010, there was a public informational meeting on the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan.  This is the plan that guides development decisions for the Wai’anae region of O’ahu. Wai’anae has always had a very strong plan, with clear limits on the growth boundary, provisions to ensure that the rural character of the community is perpetuated, and protections for the rich cultural resources and traditions.  The planning consultants have had numerous meetings with the community and worked on the updated plan for three years.   The new plan reaffirms many of the provisions in earlier plans.  It strengthened language calling for the return of military controlled land in Makua and Lualualei.   However, developers and some community members have inserted a change in the land use map that includes an aberrant spot of urban zoning in the middle of agricultural land, a notorious “purple spot” on the land use map.
This is the site of the proposed industrial park in Lualualei at a site that was once a productive farm and that sits at the base of a ridge that represents the sleeping demigod Maui.  This change in zoning in this one spot would break up the integrity of the land use designations and change the character of the area.  Lualualei is already facing negative impacts from the Navy telecommunication towers and munitions magazine and the PVT industrial landfill.  Community residents fear that this change in zoning would set a precedent for rezoning other lands nearby and open up the area for more industrial development.
Working with the Wai’anae Environmental Justice Working Group and the Concerned Elders of Wai’anae, the American Friends Service Committee Hawai’i Area Program is working on the campaign to protect the farm land in Lualualei.
At the public informational meeting, the consultants began by reviewing the plan and the key points and changes.  More than a  hundred people turned out for the meeting. The overwhelming majority of testimony was for maintaining the rural, agricultural character of Wai’anae.  A strong contingent of youth from MA’O farms turned out and expressed their desire to farm and the need to have adequate farm land available. The urban spot zone was the main source of contention and discussion.
Proponents of the industrial park talked about economic development and the fact that there were no sites where light industrial facilities could be situated in Wai’anae.  But many countered that there is ample industrial sites available nearby in Campbell Industrial park and that the benefit to the community would be negligible compared to the social, environmental and cultural costs.  It seemed that there was some agreement between the proponents and opponents of the  industrial park; all wanted to protect the rural character of their community and provide economic opportunities for their youth.   The difference seems to boil down to: some believe in their community being able to develop and thrive on their own terms, while others feel desperate and feel they must settle for whatever they can get.

The Final Draft of the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan will go to the City and County Planning Commission where there will be a public hearing.  After that, it will go to the Plannning Committee of the City Council, then on to the full Council to have three readings.   These will all be critical opportunities to testify and demonstrate the commitment to protecting Wai’anae.

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In Wai’anae: Army delays ‘Ordnance Reef’ study

Ordnance Reef study pushed back

By William Cole

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 20, 2010

The Army said yesterday that it is delaying a $2.5 million study of grenades, bombs and other ordnance dumped in shallow water off Waianae that was scheduled for October because it first needs to do an environmental assessment.

Conducting the assessment for what is known as Ordnance Reef will push back the technology demonstration project until April or May, the Army said. It said it determined an assessment is required under federal law.

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