Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 10, 1 October 2003 — Hōkūuliʻa flouted law [ARTICLE]

Hōkūuliʻa flouted law

It's encouraging that Kona Circuit Judge Ronald Ibarra stopped a developer's attempt to pass off a golf course and $3 million homes

as proper use of agricultural land. The issue is not whether Hawai'i is anti-business, but rather the importance of the attitude that development should take a backseat to the preservation of Hawai'i's environment and its culture. The Hōkūli'a project has been riddled with controversy. In 2000, massive amounts of muddy run-off from the development irreparably damaged coral reefs. The Arizona developer also was cited for disturbing burial grounds in addition to bulldozing the alaloa, a historical site, making it into a fairway. As if spoiling the pristine coastline was not enough, the developers are trying to spin themselves into the victims of the very controversy they created. They cry of lost investments and foul play, but they chose to skirt the laws and failed to go through the proper state process that would have prevented the setbacks that they find themselves facing today. I have a hard time feeling sympathy when developers flout our laws and damage the environment. Karina Umehara Honolulu