Neighborhood Board Watch

by LORI ARIZUMI
Sun Correspondent
Archived July 2008 article

Rêne Garvin was elected at the May meeting to fill an at-large vacancy. Of great interest, and residents' input, during the May meeting was determining a board position on the proposed city charter amendment (Resolution 08-33) relating to establishment of urban growth boundaries, and the urbanization of agricultural land (SB 2646). The Board adopted two resolutions: one that provides for the establishment of growth boundaries to regulatewhere new urban development may occur and to protect agricultural and open space lands from urban expansion; and one that supports requiring that amendments to the growth boundaries shall first be referred to the Planning Commission for its review and recommendation and shall require a two-thirds vote of the entire membership of the Council. A dozen residents, including farmers, spoke on that issue and on SB 2646 (approved by the Legislature), which allows for agricultural lands to be reclassified to urban usage. Because the bill bypasses the usual rezoning process and procedures, the Board approved a statement that opposes any method that "fast-tracks" removing land from agricultural use, and urged Governor Lingle to veto the bill. Two issues are continuing to elicit strong community response: keeping the Koko Crater trail open to hikers, and a new restriction placed on taking dogs on the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail. The actions were successful in re-opening the Koko Crater trail, and discussions are ongoing regarding the dog ban at Makapuu.

Kuliouou-Kalani Iki
RECESS, Aina Haina Public Library. Call K. Russell Ho of the Neighborhood Commission Office at 768-3715 for more information.

In a special statement to East Oahu Sun, Chair Bob Chuck of the Kuliouou/Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board #2 made these comments in regard to the sudden passing of Bertha Leong: "Bertha Leong was a great member and leader of our Neighborhood Board. She served as chair for 11 years and was my mentor when I first joined the board in mid-'90s. As chair, Bertha was even-handed, patient and very fair, allowing all sides of an issue to be fully heard. In 1998, Bertha left the board when elected to State House of Representatives. As a legislator, she faithfully attended all of our meetings and presented meaningful reports. We will greatly miss Bertha's leadership and community spirit endeavors."

Further discussion in the June meeting on a proposed Adult Residential Care Home (ARCH II) at 5304 Limu Place included the property owner Dan Izawa and general manager Marc Goto, who presented paperwork verifying that violations had been taken care of, the pool was cleaned and debris is picked up on a regular basis. Neighbors reported there is still rubbish on the street, but Izawa and Goto indicated that more attention would be paid to the matter. The Board reiterated opposition to the facility in a restated resolution approved at the June 5 meeting. Possible traffic solutions at the intersection of Niu Valley will be presented at the August meeting, with representatives from the respective transportation agencies to answer questions.

Waialae-Kahala
Thursday, July 17, 7:00 pm, Wesley United Methodist Church. Call Orrin Kupau of the Neighborhood Commission Office at 768-3779 for more information.

One of the issues at the May meeting concerned any abridgments of Shangri-La's Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Debra Pope, Executive Director, met with DPP, which iterated the facility's system of operation, number of visitors and the uses of operation have not changed, and are consistently operating well below the maximum allowable capacity of 96 visitors per day, four days a week; and typically, no more than 75 visitors per day and observing quiet hours. DPP recently made two minor modifications to the CUP: 1) Allow Saturday programs onsite for residents who work or are in school as long as the maximum number of programs of four days a week is not exceeded; and 2) allow use of one 25-passenger van, instead of two 12-passenger vans. Also in a follow-up of Protecting and Preserving Kahala Beach's Shoreline, Stanton Johnston made a presentation on the effects of removing natural,as well as deleterious, vegetation from the beach area. Since the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) sent letters to 12 Kahala beach residents offering voluntary cutbacks of vegetation, it was recommended that further discussion be held after response has been made from all the residents affected. One consideration is whether DLNR should pay for the removal.

Do you know what the East Honolulu Sustainable Plan is and what the urban growth boundary means to you? Download a free copy at: http://honoluludpp.org/Planning/DevSust_EastHonolulu.asp

Help keep East Honolulu's streams and Maunalua Bay clean. Organizations can sign up to adopt their local stream by going to the City and County website www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com/storm/calendar/calendar.html to schedule a cleaning day. They can also call 692-5208.

East Oahu Sun welcomes input from residents regarding the Neighborhood Board Watch column. Please send comments to: info@eastoahusun.com.

Information about neighborhood boards can be found online at www.honolulu.gov/nco or at the Neighborhood Commission Office, Honolulu Hale, Room 400, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 768-3710 or fax 768-3711 to be added to the mailing list.

Residents in respective jurisdictions are encouraged to attend the meetings to hear reports from the police and fire departments, from elected state and county elected officials, the Board of Water Supply, and from area community associations. When hot-button issues are anticipated, meetings will sometimes see residents from other communities who wish to present their thoughts. All residents are invited to contribute, and are encouraged to take advantage of the 2- to 3-minute podium time limit to speak.

Anyone wishing to attend a Neighborhood Board meeting who has questions about accommodations for a physical disability or a special physical need should call the Neighborhood Commission Office at 527-5749 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting.

Video and audio podcasts of selected Board meetings can be accessed and downloaded from http://www.honolulu.gov/nco under "Board Meetings Video on Demand."