DOC member and long-time North Shore resident, Choon James said, "Oaktree keeps saying their massive development will provide needed jobs for North Shore residents. This is pure corporate spin because Turtle Bay has perennially been unable to fill all its existing job vacancies. Another five hotels and more gated condos and timeshares for the rich would require importing workers from elsewhere. This will inevitably trigger the "multiplier effect" on our communities. Where would these additional workers live? Could the hundreds of additional workers make the long daily commute from other parts of Oahu on our already-crowded narrow two-lane roads? Currently, most upper-level Turtle Bay Hotel management jobs are held by out-of-state personnel, including from England." James further noted, "This battle between David -- local residents -- against the Goliath of rich developers regularly plays out all over our islands. Locals do not want to see these islands turned into a playground for the rich. Our elder statesman, Governor George Ariyoshi eloquently warned that we must plan and not skip from one project to another. Otherwise, we will incrementally lose what we hold dear and precious about Hawai`i." James also echoed the need for Oaktree's local management to exercise needed corporate conscience and begin a meaningful dialog with the community. "If ever there was a time for an international corporation to talk story and for Hawaii's elected and appointed County and State officials and the large land-owning Hawai`i trusts to all come to the table to plan and protect what is left of Hawai`i, that time is now. Grassroots activism and growing frustration with our public officials caused by this latest round of run-a-way development escalate in the islands. If I were an elected official, I would take note of this growing public angst."
DOC member Mark Cunningham, a respected waterman and Kawela Bay resident said, "Many of our DOC members and supporters are veterans of previous battles to protect the North Shore from over-development: acquiring the Pupukea/Paumalu bluff, saving Waimea Valley, and defeating the Shark's Cove Mall development. But we're growing tired of having to continually fend off such unrealistic projects and are going to start demanding more accountability from our elected officials. People have property rights of course, but these large-scale development proposals that threaten the very identity of the North Shore should never be accepted and the community will continue to rally against them.
Members of the Defend Oahu Coalition have tried repeatedly without success to meet with Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann and to get the Mayor's administration to require the developer to produce a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) for Turtle Bay's now 20+-year old permits. On May 19, 2006, the non-profit Keep The North Shore Country was joined by the Sierra Club, Hawai`i Chapter in a lawsuit asking that Kuilima Resort be required to perform a supplemental environmental impact statement. The lawsuit also seeks an injunction against further ground work or construction at the resort until a supplemental EIS is completed. This lawsuit was later consolidated with a similar suit brought by Unite Here Local 5, the hotel workers' union. When the Union settled their labor dispute with Oaktree, they agreed to drop their suit. On November 13, 2006, Judge Sabrina McKenna heard Motions for Summary Judgment and ruled in favor of Kuilima Resort Company. A Notice of Appeal was filed on January 8, 2007. Before the briefs were submitted, a technical error was noted in the court paperwork: the Union's case was still referenced as active, even though they had withdrawn. Additional paperwork was filed by the Union's attorney to clarify that they are no longer party to this lawsuit and when that was recorded, the clock began anew for filing an appeal. As of this date, the legal challenge is still very much alive and it would not be affected by any changes in ownership at Kuilima. DOC President Carol Philips said, "The standards have changed dramatically since the original EIS was conducted due to improved technology and measuring techniques. Considering the potential traffic impact alone, it's outrageous that the city would not want a supplemental EIS. Add to this the very real impact of the additional sewage and wastewater disposal on our ocean and reefs, the iwi issue, the lack of affordable housing and all the rest, it's disturbing that our elected and appointed officials don't use their power to require an updated EIS."
The Defend Oahu Coalition is not the only Oahu group fighting this latest round of rapacious over-development, seemingly being empowered by uncaring politicians and appointed officials. In fact, there are over a dozen small groups now organizing to grow the county-wide effort to prevent inappropriate over-development. Now meeting regularly, the as-yet-unnamed group is working to focus their common interests in order to more effectively challenge large corporate development interests and Oahu's elected and appointed officials who continue to sell out to them. During the second meeting of the group -- coincidentally also on Friday, July 13th -- in Honolulu, one native Hawaiian participant put it this way; "Why aren't our officials listening to us? Why are they ignoring the obvious and facilitating all of this inappropriate development to the detriment of our residents?" Carol Philips observed, "Now that's the real question."
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