Baptiste aims to halt
gated communities

LIHUE » Kauai Mayor Brian Baptiste wants to ban gated communities as part of his plan to build stronger communities on the Garden Island.

Baptiste said he plans to send a bill to the County Council that would ban gated communities in future developments.

There are currently only two subdivisions on Kauai that are gated -- one in Kilauea and another above Nawiliwili Harbor.

"I envision our island with integrated communities where people of various socio-economic levels and cultures can live together without gates or barriers that hinder access," Baptiste said Thursday. "In this island paradise, communities should be welcoming and accessible to everyone."

The measure would ban construction of gates that prevent access to private roads serving five or more homes, he said. It would also prohibit guard stations or other means of restricting access, he said.

"This is a policy which we want our communities to relate to, the message they send to each other," Baptiste said. "Without strong communities we would be like anyone else."