Sharing an email (below) from Dylan Tsai @ Save Kapiolani Village. If you are opposed to abuse of HRS 201H-38 exemptions (which enable development of Kuilei Place and Manoa Banyan Court), read on:
"Aloha kākou, An update on the campaign to save Kapiolani Village: Tenants at Kapiolani Village and community supporters have been meeting weekly to discuss our next steps moving forward in the campaign to save Kapiolani Village. At our last meeting the vice-president of the Kobayashi Group, Elton Wong, showed up uninvited and again attempted to dissuade tenants and supporters from organizing against this project. In the process he admitted that the developers, the Kobayashi group, could have kept the apartments the way they are and that the Kuilei project is unaffordable for most tenants. The Kobayashi group says that the state needs affordable housing, but multiple city agencies denied approval for the exemptions they requested stating “the project does not follow affordability guidelines”. This is clearly a for-profit initiative, but is using “affordability” to get away with murder! Furthermore, it must be noted that this has ramifications which extend far beyond Kapiolani Village and sets a dangerous precedent for communities all across Oʻahu. In order to fight these blatant injustices, tenants at Kapiolani Village continue to build unity with their neighbors. But they need your help with the following tasks! 1. Community outreach to gather support from allied community groups, organizations, agencies, and elected officials. 2. Pressuring City Council! On July 12th 10AM we will be showing up in force to present our demands to City Council! Come dressed in black to show your support. Become a part of the movement today by replying to this email and setting up a one-on-one with one of our onboarding committee members! Mahalo nui, Dylan Tsai Honolulu Tenants Union" ============= Comment/Opinion: To really get their attention, perhaps it is time to launch a recall petition against certain Councilmembers. According to Honolulu County Clerk's office: it takes just 10 percent of the active registered voters in a City Council District to recall a sitting Councilmember. Hypothetically, let's look at District 5 (Calvin Say). According to the County Clerk's office, there are 58,947 active registered voters in District 5, so 10 percent equals 5,895 signatures. Excerpt from Honolulu City Charter, Section 12, has more details: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16XZWVkJG8B2sKq7RKrUXMbAfC1IiTLwp/view?usp=sharing
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1. Recent Civil Beat article on the growing community friction about the controversial 201H-38 approved Kuilei Place development, a so-called affordable housing project in McCully/Moiliili: https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/03/proposed-honolulu-high-rise-is-pitting-residents-and-neighborhood-boards-against-city-officials/
2. Article highlights Councilmember Calvin Say's role in fast-tracking the Kuilei Place project despite City DPP's opposition to Kuilei Place exemptions, StarAdvertiser's Editorial against Kuilei Place exemptions, and despite unanimous opposition of McCully/Moiliili Neighborhood Board to Kuilei Place. 3. Article said an online petition to recall Councilmember Calvin Say was started: https://www.change.org/p/recall-councilmember-calvin-say-he-is-not-responsive-to-his-constitutents?redirect=false According to DCCA records, two more long-time LYCA Trustees have resigned under the tenure of LYCA President Charles Wong. Of note, both these now-former LYCA Trustees previously provided campaign donations to Councilmember Calvin Say (perhaps in violation of LYCA Bylaws). LYCA is now down to only eight remaining Trustees.
1. Dr. Glenn Pang resigned as LYCA Trustee on 04 AUG 2022: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11XaxS9xzdqxXyvFJHDzYGnUphGTAEAhH/view?usp=share_link 2. Leslie G.Y. Young resigned as LYCA Trustee on 01 AUG 2022: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TakAoNESiTuAZyamveosc0Ens_p2axZq/view?usp=share_link 3. Updated list of Lin Yee Chung Association Trustees (only eight LYCA Trustees remaining): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d7jUxR1rxkZgy1RezZyy4QmkbCei28E0/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=114108623129176669460&rtpof=true&sd=true According to the searchable Hawaii State Campaign Spending Commission's database for all campaign contributions from Nov 2006 to July 2022 (https://hicscdata.hawaii.gov/dataset/Campaign-Contributions-Received-By-Hawaii-State-an/jexd-xbcg/data), the following LYCA trustees made campaign contributions to Calvin Say on the following dates : Leslie GY Young, $250, 18 Aug 2020 Patricia Chinn MD, $500, 03 Aug 2020 Glenn Pang MD, $1000, 02 Jul 2020 Glenn Pang MD, $1000, 01 May 2015 Glenn Pang MD, $500, 20 Nov 2006 LYCA’s 2018 Amended Articles of Incorporation state: “The Corporation shall not participate in or intervene (including publication or distribution of statements) in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.” (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eKDK8Scm8L_Z7FmPG5vCOhco-oagv3sm/view?usp=share_link) In a letter dated 21 Oct 2021 from LYCA President Charles Wong to Councilmember Calvin Say, Mr. Wong spells out LYCA's game plan to develop Manoa Banyan Court under Section 201H-38, and furnishes an advance preliminary copy of the Manoa Banyan Court Draft Environmental Assessment (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsYl_enqwxB_Ghgs887r8A_Jve5nOu6r/view?usp=sharing ) In case you hadn't already seen: An excellent thoughtful op-ed article by former state Land Use Commission chair, Jonathan Scheuer, and UH Law School attorney, Deja Ostrowski titled "5 Tools To Disarm The Weaponization Of Affordable Housing" was recently published in Civil Beat.
The authors cited Manoa Banyan Court as an example of weaponization of affordable housing (article excerpts provided below):
Link to article: https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/03/5-tools-to-disarm-the-weaponization-of-affordable-housing/ Former Lin Yee Chung Association (LYCA) Trustee Lance Luke invites the community to an online zoom meeting on Manoa Chinese Cemetery, Manoa Banyan Court, 201H, and other concerns to be held Saturday (18 Feb) @ 9am.
See flyer for details. Manoa Banyan Court and the 201H-38 exemption controversy received more local media attention yesterday (Mon/06 Feb).
Recall last week: Councilmember Calvin Say led City Council's vote to approve 201H-38 exemptions and tax/fee credits for Kobayashi Group's Kuilei Place hybrid affordable housing project (over objections from McCully/Moiliili neighborhood community, The Outdoor Circle, and objections from the City's Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) which found Kuilei Place did not include enough truly affordably priced condos to qualify).
Fast forward to today: Kobayashi Group now is running "for sale" ads for their Kuilei Place condos. What do you think is happening? Has "affordable housing" become a smoke screen/trojan horse for lucrative unfettered rampant development? Will Manoa Banyan Court be more of the same? BOTTOMLINE UP FRONT: Senator Carol Fukunaga asks for community help to contact the office of Senate Housing Committee Chair Stanley Chang (email: [email protected]) , and request Sen. Chang publish a hearing notice today for SB 643 and SB 644. Today (Friday, 03 Feb) may be the final day for Senator Chang to publish a hearing notice where public input/testimony on these bills may be heard.
For more details, below is what Senator Fukunaga's office sent out yesterday: "In response to Manoa neighbors’ concerns regarding the Manoa Banyan Court project, I introduced two measures to improve environmental reviews or impose specific conditions upon Chapter 201H-38, HRS affordable housing projects on preservation, conservation and agricultural lands: · Senate Bill 643, Relating to Zoning Exemptions: Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to comply with various development statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules when developing on lands of the State conservation district or a county preservation district. Senate referral: HOU/WTL, WAM/JDC · Senate Bill 644, Relating to Proposed Housing Developments: Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation or an eligible developer to prepare an environmental impact statement for any proposed housing project on lands zoned as preservation or conservation by the applicable county. Senate referral: HOU/AEN/WTL, JDC On January 27th, I asked Senate Housing Committee Chair Stanley Chang (as the lead among the three committees to which the bill was referred) for a meeting to discuss SB 644. Unfortunately, he was unavailable when I visited his office with the bill. On January 30th, I sent a memo to the three committee chairs to request a hearing on the bill before the Joint/Referral Deadline of February 10, 2023 so that Manoa neighbors could express their concerns regarding the Manoa Banyan Court Draft EA and 201H affordable housing exemption process. My staff has also contacted Senator Chang’s office to seek a response to my request. To date, I have not heard back from Senator Chang’s office and tomorrow is probably the last day on which a hearing notice for a HOU/AEN/WTL Committee hearing can be posted to meet Senate notice deadlines. I encourage you to contact him at [email protected] if you’d like him to schedule a hearing on SB 644 so you can explain why neighborhood concerns must be addressed when ‘fast-tracked’ 201H, HRS affordable housing projects are proposed. Carol Fukunaga State Senator, District 11 (Manoa-Makiki, Punchbowl, Tantalus & Papakolea) Phone: 808-586-6460 Email: [email protected]" Good:
HB839, and its companion, SB644 would require Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) or an eligible developer to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for any proposed housing project on lands zoned as preservation or conservation by the applicable county. Very Bad: HB1247, and its companion, SB1436 would exempt "affordable" housing projects and certain qualifying housing development projects from public environmental protection/review"guardrails" contained in the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA). IMPORTANT: Submit public testimony in support of the good bills, and in opposition to the bad bills: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/home.aspx There's a growing number of 201H-38-related bills in-play in the 2023 Hawaii State Legislature. From a personal perspective, I classified them as BAD/OPPOSE and GOOD/SUPPORT. What do you think?
We can all participate in our State legislative process (track status of legislation, attend hearings, submit testimony): https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/home.aspx BAD/OPPOSE SB 763: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=763&year=2023 GOOD/SUPPORT SB 643: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=643&year=2023 SB 644: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=644&year=2023 SB 507: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=507&year=2023 SB 491: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=491&year=2023 |
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