Proposed Bill Would Limit the Power of the Hawaii Community Development Authority
The Hawaii Community Development Authority is a state agency responsible for the redevelopment of Kakaako. When the authority was created in 1976, their mission was to help to revitalize Honolulu's urban core with mixed used developments. However, some citizens are concerned that the HDCA is catering to heavily towards developers and are concerned about increased traffic, the blocking of view channels, and the expense of infrastructure that would be created by high rise condominiums that are being proposed for Kakaako. Other citizens argue that the luxury condominium units are targeting mainland and foreign buyers and that the "affordable" buildings are still much too expensive for the majority of Hawaii residents. As a result, Scott Saiki, the State House Majority Leader, is proposing a series of bills that would limit the power of the Hawaii Community Development Authority and would establish legislative oversight on their actions. One of the bills would impose a one-year moratorium on the approval of any plan in Kakaako, which would slow down the building process considerably.
