End of rural Oahu?

The battle to “keep the country country” showed it was still alive and well at a City Council meeting last Wednesday, where Koolau residents butted heads over a possible development in Laie. The campaign, titled “Envision Laie,” was put together by the Mormon community, which operates the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus and works with the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore.
Supporters were easy to spot, clad in uniform blue shirts that read “I support the Koolau Loa Sustainable Communities Plan.” The question was, sustainable for whom? While the supporters of the 222-unit hotel were made up mostly of members of the Mormon community, many others had made the trip downtown to voice their concerns over the proposal.
One woman questioned whether the the project was for the gain of just the Mormon Church, which also wants to expand its BYU campus, or for the community as a whole.
Of all the Oahu residents who were polled, about the Laie project, only 71 of them were from Laie. Diana Ho, a homeowner from Laie, said that the “price of keeping the country country is eternal vigilance,” stating that even city folk need to escape to the country on occasion.
Resident Dave Crease claimed the project would create jobs ranging from construction to hospitality positions.
“In these challenging economic times, we see our children moving to the mainland because there are no jobs close to home,” said Crease, who added, “This is an opportunity for BYU students to find jobs in hospitality.”
After the demolition of the previous local inn, one long-time resident of Koolau said that the only current lodging option is Turtle Bay, which is too expensive for many visitors. Councilmember Romy M. Cachola then asked what developers believed the price range of the new lodging would be, to which one man answered “probably one-third less than Turtle Bay.”
Cachola laughed and said, “When the time comes, I’m going to nail you on that!”
Dell Samoi, also a North Shore resident, said that the hotel would prevent many from commuting into town and back each day for work, giving them more time to spend at home with their families.
For those not dressed in baby-blue, the upset was palpable.
“Don’t let the blue shirts in the room trick you into thinking everyone supports this hotel,” said one Dotty K. to the council members. Whereas the former inn was a modest 55-room building, the new project, she said, is “overkill.”
North Shore resident Jim Anthony said that the hotel would be the beginning of the end of rural Oahu. He stated any development is bad development, as “there is no such thing as being a little bit pregnant.”
Another testifier said that the addition would crowd the narrow local road, negatively impact the surrounding wildlife and “obliterate the mauka view” with a “huge, inappropriate design.”
Andrea Anicks, who had moved from Kaneohe to escape booming developments, pointed out that Laie already exceeds the defined capacity of the rural master plan by 7,000 people. And the new hotel could add an extra 5,000 to the total. In addition, construction would remove the 106-year-old Kaa‘awa school. “People who live there do so to enjoy the rural lifestyle,” she said. “That’s why we call this the ‘Invasion Laie’ project.”
Unfortunately, after what has already become a lengthy process, a decision on whether or not to give the green light for building was deferred until Sept. 16. Cachola expressed the hope that the opposing parties could reach a compromise before the next meeting. In addition, a flood study is still outstanding since the region is prone to flooding.