State on standby to assist city in Waimea effort
Rep. Brian Schatz will propose a plan to fund a land purchase
State officials say they're willing to assist the city to protect Waimea Valley from development, but only if city officials ask for help.
"There's a lot of options. If somebody is serious, we ought to sit down and address the issues and figure out what is the right thing to do," said Peter Young, chairman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
But because so many unanswered questions remain, the city would likely have to take the initiative in broaching the subject with the state, officials said.
"I think it would probably be up to the city to approach the trustees and ask for their involvement," said Clyde Namuo, administrator with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which had explored acquiring the valley. "We're not even sure what the sellers are asking for, what the conditions are. We're not privy to any of those discussions."
Said Young: "We don't want to step on the city's toes ... (but) I've got our guys geared up prepared to be available."
Last week, the City Council gave preliminary approval by a 5-4 vote to the settlement proposal following a closed-door discussion. A final vote is scheduled for next week.
Details of the settlement offer were not made public. But it apparently includes the city keeping the 300-acre Waimea Valley park and allowing the current landowner to subdivide the back of the valley into eight residential lots and establishing an ecological camp for tourists.
North Shore residents and environmental groups such as Stewards of Waimea Valley oppose the development plans. Spokesman Scott Foster said discussions between different groups and individuals on ways to acquire and preserve the pristine and historically significant valley have been ongoing, but the problem is that no one knows how much money that will take.
"There is more interest and it's broader-based than before. It surprised even me," said Foster, who added that little more can be done until the final selling price is revealed.
State Rep. Brian Schatz, vice chairman of the House Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee, said he is prepared to introduce legislation next session to appropriate funds to help purchase the valley.
"We can't leave the city in this tough decision where they're forced to choose between opening this valley up to development or paying a larger price tag than they expected," Schatz said.
Schatz proposes to use funds created by The Legacy Lands Act, which increased the conveyance tax for property sales of more than $600,000 to provide money for land conservation.
Schatz said if there isn't enough money in the conservation fund he will also propose using general fund appropriations for the purchase.
Young said the fund has under $2 million, which is not enough to pursue a land purchase.
But he also said that there are several methods available to achieve the same outcome -- outright purchase of the property, a land exchange, obtaining federal funding, creating partnerships with other organizations or the regulatory route.
Young said the back of Waimea is conservation land and if a residential development is going to be proposed, the land board must approve permits for a residential subdivision and any improvements through a public hearing process.
"We would want to know a lot more about the natural and cultural resources there," he said.
Young said that just because someone applies for the permits, "doesn't mean they're automatically going to get it."
Namuo said OHA trustees are concerned about the possibility of losing the last intact ahupuaa -- a mountain to ocean land division -- on Oahu and are monitoring what's going on with the valley.
OHA appropriated money to help the National Audubon Society in operating Waimea Valley park, Namuo said, but "there was never formal request for us to look at purchasing it."