Friday, November 16, 2007
Hawaii residents split at Molokai hearing
KUALAPU'U, Moloka'i — The Friendly Isle lived up to its nickname yesterday as hundreds of people turned out for a public hearing to testify — sometimes passionately but respectfully — on both sides of a land proposal that has split the community and stands to profoundly reshape life on Moloka'i.
The private owner of one-third of the island, Moloka'i Ranch, wants to develop 200 luxury coastal house lots at La'au Point — the divisive financial linchpin to a package that also includes perpetually protecting 50,000 acres from development, preserving jobs at the struggling ranch and reopening the shuttered Kaluako'i Hotel.
Yesterday's hearing was the first chance for the rural community to speak directly to the state Land Use Commission about the plan. Although the hearing was to address only whether Moloka'i Ranch has adequately studied and documented the environmental issues, many residents spoke directly about the project.
"I feel Moloka'i should be kept the way it is and not be developed," testified Tracy Lishman, a fifth-generation Moloka'i resident and Hawaiian homesteader. Read complete story...
The private owner of one-third of the island, Moloka'i Ranch, wants to develop 200 luxury coastal house lots at La'au Point — the divisive financial linchpin to a package that also includes perpetually protecting 50,000 acres from development, preserving jobs at the struggling ranch and reopening the shuttered Kaluako'i Hotel.
Yesterday's hearing was the first chance for the rural community to speak directly to the state Land Use Commission about the plan. Although the hearing was to address only whether Moloka'i Ranch has adequately studied and documented the environmental issues, many residents spoke directly about the project.
"I feel Moloka'i should be kept the way it is and not be developed," testified Tracy Lishman, a fifth-generation Moloka'i resident and Hawaiian homesteader. Read complete story...
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