North Shore Turtle Bay expansion is out of character

Honolulu Advertiser
May 21, 2006
As a longtime North Shore resident, I remember well when Buddy Ako and his group of 50 or 60 pushed through the approvals for expansion of Turtle Bay in the mid-1980s. It was not clear then that his group and its dream represented the majority of North Shore residents. Today, it is clear that they do not.

The North Shore stretches roughly from Kahuku to Mokule'ia and encompasses a diverse population. But the heart of it is the surf and ocean recreation-oriented population that stretches from Hale'iwa to Sunset Beach. These are the people who will be most impacted by the negative side effects of a large resort expansion — increased traffic, rising housing costs, etc. And these are the people who have a very different dream for the future of the North Shore than Mr. Ako.

At every public forum on the issue, the overwhelming opposition to the massive resort expansion has been clear. It is not about keeping people out, it is about sustaining a character and lifestyle that draw visitors from around the world and attracted most of the current residents to live here.

Mr. Ako needs to listen to the broader community and accept the political process, even though that means rejection of his dream.

Jim Richardson
North Shore