Aloha Voter - October 1984: Pros and Cons of the Date-Laau Initiative

September 1984

October 1984

November 1984

Pros and Cons of the Date-Laau Initiative (Helen Griffin)
President's Message (Dorothy Lum)
Two Major Issues Facing Honolulu City Council (Welcome Fawcett)
Alternatives in a Cocked Hat? (Opal Sloane)
Voter Service Does it Again!
League Membership Update
Calendar
Vote Count Flash
Announcement - BOE Candidates' Meeting
People 'n Pix

Important Voter Info!!
Pros and Cons of the Date-Laau Initiative

(Report of League's Planning & Zoning Committee)

The Date-Laau Street initiative proposition, a first for Honolulu, will be on the ballot on November 6. A very complex issue, space does not allow us more than a brief summary of the arguments for and against the ballot question. A more substantive discussion written by Leaguer and committee member Kathy Albu is available on request at Hawaii's Thousand Friends.
THE QUESTION ON THE BALLOT IS:

Shall an ordinance be adopted to (I) require advance notice by mail to residents affected by any proposed land use change, and, (2) change certain parcels of TMK 2-7-21 on Date and Laau Streets to "low-density apartment" and "A-1" zoning (40 ft. height/limit)?
YES NO

League members are urged to look at the map below to locate the area and weigh the following pros and cons before going to the polls on November 6.

PROPONENTS ARGUE THAT THE MEASURE WILL:

protect existing affordable housing (the 250 units on the site are in the "affordable" range most are cooperatives $40,000 to $50,000);
prevent increased lease rents based on higher tax valuation. as a result of "high-density" zoning (2 years ago, lease rents went up from $4.32 to $34.20/sf); . .
avoid overloading existing infrastructure (streets, sewers, water, and other services);
insure that advance notice of any proposed land use changes will be mailed to affected residents (including lessees, not only owners);
implement other General Plan and Development Plan policies that call for (1) preserving existing residential communities much as possible and (2) generally limiting developments in the McCully-Moiliili area to medium density (150 ft. height limitation).

OPPONENTS ARGUE THAT:

there is ample time to amend the recently enacted Development Plan "high density" designation through established procedures because (1) the present leases expire in the early 2000's and (2) lease rents will not be renegotiated for eight to ten years;
the low density designation is inappropriate for the area, which is presently zoned medium density and in accord with DP policies for the McCully-Moiliili area; the "high density" now in the development must go through the zoning amendment procedure;
a low density designation will make the existing medium density structures nonconforming and, if disaster strikes, may make any reconstruction questionable;
although notice of land use changes is desirable, the requirement as worded may cause administrative problems because of the difficulty of defining who is "affected" by the change.

There are also arguments for and against the use of the initiative process in land use planning decisions. Nukolii on Kauai is an interesting case study of that aspect of the initiative proposition before us.
We do want to emphasize one thing -- VOTE: After weighing the above factors and looking at the map to visually locate the area for you, 'vote your decision on the ballot November 6 at the General Election. However you decide.... DO VOTE!!!
Helen Griffin

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