Report Title:

Kalama Village Center; purchase

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to purchase the Kalama Village Center in order to make the site a park area to preserve open space.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2469

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

relating to land.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the Kalama Village Center is a neighborhood strip retail center located on 6.6 acres of land in Kalama Valley.  Built in 1984 on leasehold property, the center has never had an anchor tenant and is generally considered underdeveloped.  The same cannot be said, however, of the immediately surrounding area.

     The legislature also finds that Hawaii Kai, in general, is one of the most developed areas in the State and on the island of Oahu.  In only the past two years, there have been 4 new single family and condominium developments in surrounding areas.  Traffic to the urban core, as is the case with other population centers on the island of Oahu, such as Ewa Beach, Mililani, Kapolei, Aiea, and Pearl City, is a long recognized issue.  The strain on county resources, such as sewage and water, is also well recognized.

     The legislature further finds that the purchase of land to preserve open space or to prevent overdevelopment is not a novel idea.  Our history is rife with examples of the purchase or attempted purchase of lands for an important public purpose, such as the purchase or attempted purchases of Waimea Falls Adventure Park, Paradise Park, and Punaluu Beach, to name but a few.  In those examples, the important public purpose was to preserve unique biospeheres, open space, and to limit development.  In this case, the important public purpose is similar, to preserve open space, limit development, and limit the environmental harms that come with overdevelopment.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to acquire the Kalama Village Center in fee in order to preserve open space as a state park area.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $             or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the purposes of Section 1 of this Act.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

 

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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