11-18-09 - FARMER'S DESERVE AG LANDS

Farmers deserve agriculture landsAs if gentlemen estates, genetically modified organisms and urban encroachment aren't enough of a threat to our agriculture lands, now we have five City Council members advocating for expanding the hospitality market into our agriculture lands via Bill 7. And of course all flavors of Bill 7 come without much-needed enforcement. The farmers in East Honolulu in Kamilo Nui Valley and above Kaiser High School have successfully fended off urban encroachment despite heavy pressure from developers. All farmers ask for are fair lease rents, continued water flow, tax incentives and community support to "buy local." Agriculture lands should not be opened up to the accommodation industry. Agri-tourism should be discussed separately and not embedded within the context of these bills. It only adds another layer of confusion and concern as to the impacts it would have on taxes and lease rents for farmers and the overall need to revitalize ag lands for food and self-reliance. Elizabeth Reilly - President, Livable Hawaii Kai Hui

October 12, 2008 -- Landowner holds local farming in its hands

In 2010 the nursery leases of Kamilo Nui Valley are up for lease rent negotiation with landowner Kamehameha Schools. I can only hope the farmers' new annual rent will not be too inflated as their leases don't expire until 2025 and all efforts should be made to uphold agreements dated back to Henry J. Kaiser days.

But what seems to be of greater concern is the vision of some people to transform the nurseries into "gentlemen farms," thus displacing real local farmers and killing any chance of increasing the amount of produce the valley can supply.

Local nurseries vs.estates? The answer for Kamilo Nui Valley lies with the landowner who has the ultimate power to welcome true farmers and encourage diversified agriculture or hold hands with the non-farming community. Time will tell where the truth lies as 2010 is just around the corner.

Sara Yacuk
Hawaii Kai

Friday, May 30, 2008

Ag bill doesn't deserve restaurateur's support

It is unfortunate that Roy Yamaguchi's May 24 letter, "Bill will give farmers tools they need," urges the governor to support Senate Bill 2646. Earlier this week the farmers of Kamilo Nui Valley, located just a couple of miles from Roy's Hawaii Kai restaurant, requested support from the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board to urge the governor to veto this very same problematic legislation of which the board unanimously approved. Hey Roy, how about supporting your neighborhood farmers and let them decorate your restaurant with Hawaii Kai-grown plants and blooms?

Elizabeth Reilly
Hawaii Kai

Bill will give farmers tools they need

I have worked with Dean Okimoto and the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation on many events to promote Hawaii's agricultural industry. I am impressed with their passion and vigilance in being involved in so many issues facing our farmers and ranchers. As I have worked toward including many local products into my menu, I have learned about the many challenges that face our local farmers.

While land and water are the two key ingredients in agriculture, we also need other ingredients to make our farmers viable. We need a menu of tools that the farmers can choose from to help them be competitive in this global economy. This menu is called incentives for Important Agricultural Lands. These incentives need to be bold enough to make a positive impact in the agricultural industry.

I urge the governor to support this legislation to establish incentives for preserving important agricultural lands. We must have strong policies and actions to ensure the success of our farmers.

Roy Yamaguchi
Owner and chef
Roy's Restaurant

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Posted on: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 Letters to the Editor


NORTH SHOREBROWNOUTS ARGUE AGAINST NEW BUILDING

Can we handle more development given the electrical brownouts on O'ahu?

Oaktree Capital would like to build 3,500 hotel rooms and condominiums on the North Shore. This is great for jobs there, but the consequences of this development far outweigh the benefits.

Tourists and locals will be hot during the summer months because HECO is unable to handle the demands now. The rural character of the North Shore will be damaged. The traffic will be a big headache during the large-wave season and weekends.

In addition, Stanford Carr said there is a critical need for family housing in Hawai'i Kai — 200 to 500 million-dollar air-conditioned homes in Kamilo Nui Valley — and Paiko Ridge Partners would like to build and sell million-dollar air-conditioned homes on 338 acres above Niu Valley.

Hawaiian Electric cannot supply the electricity now and in the near future. We need to unite to save the livability of O'ahu and Hawai'i.

Pat Hong
Hawai'i Kai

Posted on: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 


DEVELOPMENT

HAWAI'I KAI MARINA MAY NEED PROTECTION
 

Regarding the Nov. 25 article on algae bloom in Enchanted Lake: It would be a good idea to start researching the long-term ramifications of future development in and around the Hawai'i Kai Marina now before it is too late.

We need proof that our quality of life will not be destroyed. Our voices have been heard in many editorials and through the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board. Hawai'i Kai is tired of urban sprawl. 

I hope City Council members have adequate proof before they are faced with a decision to shift the Urban Growth Boundary and allow for a zoning change that will affect many lives. They are the final decision-makers, although this whole matter could be avoided if the landowner, Kamehameha Schools, should have a change of heart and decide not to sell the 87 acres of open space that means so much to our community. 

Water quality is acceptable for now, but how long will this last? It has been stated many times that the marina is a catch basin for rain runoff, but there is no proof that development runoff won't affect the water quality. Fish will die and water in the upper pond closest to the valley will become stagnant since it is farthest from the ocean. 

Kamilo Nui Valley farmlands are outside the Urban Growth Boundary, and the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan is in effect till 2020. There is a good reason for this time line — to see how Hawai'i Kai's infrastructure adapts to its recent growth.

 

Gayle G. Carr
Hawai'i Kai

Posted on: Tuesday, November 15, 2005  

DEVELOPMENT

SAVING KAMILO NUI VALLEY IS A TOP GOAL 

Given the development climate of Hawai'i Kai, I commend the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board for taking proactive measures to preserve an important community resource and enhance the livability of East Honolulu.

At the Oct. 25 meeting, the board reiterated its support for the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan, which includes maintaining the current urban growth boundary and agriculture lands of Kamilo Nui Valley.

The East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan explicitly states that future development is anticipated within the boundary only and not outside the urban growth boundary. The plan explicitly notes that Kamilo Nui Valley is a valuable and multifaceted resource, providing agriculture, watershed, open space and scenic vistas.

Over the past year, I have witnessed hundreds of East O'ahu residents, area legislators and the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board seamlessly unified on saving Kamilo Nui Valley from development and maintaining the urban growth boundary.

Elizabeth Reilly
Hawai'i Kai

Posted on  Saturday, November 12th, 2005 -  GREAT LETTER!!    Star Bulletin Vol.10, Issue 316

Hawaii Kai residents, officials band together

Given the development climate of Hawaii Kai, I commend the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board for taking measures to preserve an important community resource and enhance the livability of East Honolulu. At the Oct. 25 neighborhood board meeting, the board reiterated its support for the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan, which includes maintaining the current urban growth boundary and agriculture lands of Kamilonui Valley.

The plan explicitly states that future development is anticipated within the boundary only and not outside the urban growth boundary. The plan notes that Kamilonui Valley is a valuable resource, providing agriculture, watershed, open space and scenic vistas.

During the past year I have witnessed hundreds of East Oahu residents, respective area legislators and the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board unified on one issue: save Kamilonui Valley from development.

The beauty of Kamilonui Valley is not only what one sees, smells and hears when you visit, but the inspirational power it gives the community to band together to protect it.

Evangeline Yacuk
Honolulu

Posted on: Monday, November 7, 2005

AG USE

KEEP KAMILONUI VALLEY OPEN AND UNDEVELOPED

Kamilonui Valley is the last remaining undeveloped valley in East Honolulu. An agricultural heiau called Pahua remains at the base of Kamilonui Valley. This heiau could be a symbol for what the valley can become again.Why does Kamehameha Schools not explore the possibility of keeping the valley in agricultural use by making the land available for interested Hawaiians who want to farm? Farmers played an important role in Hawaiian culture. The valley could be used for traditional Hawaiian dry land crops such as sweet potatoes, which this area was known for in the old days, or other viable agricultural ventures and programs.Kamehameha Schools says the Kamilonui farms aren't meeting the five mandates of the trust's land-holdings. Perhaps with planning and investment, the valley could meet these criteria once the leases expire or the current farmers decide they don't wish to stay. Everyone could learn by observing and practicing traditional Hawaiian land use, which offers advanced methods of conservation and preservation.Keeping the valley open and undeveloped, but at the same time productive, would help keep this community balanced. Provide Hawaiians with land to work. Once the land is gone, no amount of money will get it back.

Kimo Franklin
Hawai'i Kai

Posted on: Thursday, October 27, 2005  HONOLULU ADVERTISER


PROTECT WATERSHED

LET'S GIVE BACK TO KUAPA POND

In 1961, Bishop Estate leased a 6,000-acre area, which included Kuapa Pond, to petitioner Kaiser Aetna for subdivision development now known as Hawai'i Kai. Once an integral part of the Hawaiian feudal system, fishponds were allotted as parts of large land units, known as ahupua'a, by King Kamehameha III. Kuapa Pond was part of an ahupua'a that eventually was vested in Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

Dredging and filling operations converted Kuapa Pond into a marina. The Pacific tides ebbed and flowed over the pond in its pre-marina state. The tide entered through two openings in the barrier beach; it also percolated through the barrier beach itself. Although large areas of land at the inland end were completely exposed at low tide, the entire pond was inundated at high tide, and rainwaters flowed down from the mountainsides that surrounded the pond.

A water body such as Kuapa Pond is contiguous to Maunalua Bay and should be regarded as an arm of the sea. Kuapa Pond originally was created by natural forces. Encompassing the pond were luscious mountainsides where natural waters flowed.

The destruction of an oyster bed in Maunalua Bay and the vanishing of the Hawaiian stilt resulted from dredging a channel and creating a beautiful place for us to live. The public right of navigation is the dominant right, and the right to live on this present-day pond is truly exceptional.

Kuapa Pond has sacrificed so much that maybe it is time we gave something back. In 1996, the Hawaiian stilt finally returned to Kuapa Pond. The necessary precautions are now being taken to protect this endangered species so it may propagate. Now is a crucial time for us to protect the natural watershed that is Kamilonui Valley. Coastal environments are strongly influenced by upstream sources and freshwater inflow.

Keeping a natural watershed to feed the pond will promote a healthier bay and aid in its effort to get back to the way it once was in earlier days. Keep Kamilo Nui Valley properly designated, outside the Urban Growth Boundary, while letting nature take its course.

Gayle G. Carr
Hawai'i Kai Marina

Posted on: Thursday, October 6, 2005

KAMILONUI EDITORIAL

POSITION SHOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL HOUSING

I was sorely disappointed by The Advertiser's Sept. 28 editorial on Kamilonui Valley ("City must guard use of Kamilonui land"). I attended several community meetings about Kamehameha Schools' plan to sell 87 acres of agriculturally zoned farmland to a housing developer. The most recent meeting at Mariner's Cove had an overflow crowd of residents; 95 percent were staunchly opposed to having the farmland rezoned for urban development.

With overwhelming community opposition, The Advertiser should be willing to take a stand. I encourage you to attend future meetings and speak with residents. Your editorial position should be simple: No additional housing development in Kamilonui Valley.

Nolan Y. Kido
'Aina Haina

Posted on: Saturday, October 1, 2005  HONOLULU ADVERTISER

KAMILONUI

STOP DESPOILMENT OF HAWAI'I KAI LAND

Regarding your Sept. 28 editorial on Kamilonui Valley, isn't Hawai'i Kai despoiled enough as is? The first "Peninsula" section built resembles an Army barracks. It's gotten worse.

Is there no one, Charles Djou included, who will stop this? Are we the new urban core? The hideous Peninsula development reminds me of the city centers of my native Boston in the early 1900s, which were developed to house the long lines of immigrants coming to shore seeking work. Double and triple deckers. Is this what anyone intended for Lunalilo Home Road?

Kate McIntyre
Hawai'i Kai