Professor joins fight against waterfront development in Kakaako
A urban planning professor has joined the coalition of surfers and paddlers, environmentalists and others who plan to rally today at the state Capitol against A&B Properties Inc.'s proposed mixed-use waterfront development in Kakaako.
"What I cannot agree with is the selling of public land," said Luciano Minerbi, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Hawaii. "I think that is a very bad idea."
In response to a request for proposals from the state agency that manages the largely blighted taxpayer-owned property, A&B has proposed to redevelop about 35 acres into park space, farmers and crafts markets, an amphitheater, retail space and 635 residential units in two towers. A&B would buy the land where the condominium towers would be built -- the rest of the development would be leased by the state -- and the company would use the proceeds of the condominium sales to pay for the public amenities that do not produce revenue.
Some opponents have criticized the overall project, including the notion of putting any residential or retail space on the waterfront property, but much opposition has centered on the proposal to sell public land to a private developer.
Although A&B has responded to public input by altering its plans, company executives have said they need to sell the land to make the project financially feasible.
But Minerbi said governments should not make decisions concerning the development of public land based on whether the projects "pencil out" the way a private development would. Paramount, he said, is government's need to protect public assets, particularly scarce waterfront property in Honolulu.
"When you sell it, you've lost that resource," he said. "It's more acceptable to lease government land rather than sell government land."
Dan Dinell, executive director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, which manages the Kakaako property, pointed out that only a small portion of the land in Kakaako would be sold. In that respect, Dinell said, the deal on balance was a good one for the taxpayers, who would benefit from spruced-up public spaces at no cost to them beyond the loss of a handful of acres of land.
The state agency has delayed action on the project pending the completion of the current session of the Legislature, which is considering bills that could stop the development.
"I would just say that it's a difficult policy choice that has to be weighed, and that's what the Legislature is doing right now," Dinell said.
