The multidirectional land rush

I received an email from Kevin Chang who said he enjoys reading Hawaii Blogger. Even my mom hasn’t said that.

Kevin works for The Trust for Public Land. They acquire land for conservation, with the goal of reconnecting people with the land; whatever that means.

As you might suspect, Kevin’s organization is supporting the Campaign to Protect Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay is considered Oahu’s last slice of country; beaches, surfing, landscapes (are those windmills still up there on the North Shore?), habitat of endangered species (turtles, seals, and land developers), local agriculture, and Hawaiian ancestral burial grounds.

Governor Linda Lingle and many others want to buy the Turtle Bay resort and surrounding property, about 850 acres, to preserve it for the future. No one is doing much with the land these days, though the Turtle Bay owner has plans. Everyone has plans for developing something.

I am curious, though, and curiosity begets questions.

What will happen to the land if the state buys it from the current owners? If the developers have their way, North Shore residents will have more jobs available and a much shorter commute to the jobs they have now. I can’t imagine how traffic on the North Shore could get worse.

Will a few additional resort buildings on the owner’s property harm the seals and turtles and Hawaiian burial places? If the state buys the land will Hawaii residents still be able to use the land? If so, how?

Another question that I haven’t heard answered is, ‘If you owned the land, what would you do with it?‘ How would you feel if you were told you could not do with your land what you planned, and was legal when you bought it?