Hawaii Land Use Commission Disputes Developer’s Assurance on Hoopili
LUC’s executive director clarifies that the commission hasn’t made any determination as to whether a traffic impact analysis report was properly accepted.
Hawaii Land Use Commission Executive Director Daniel Orodenker said Tuesday his agency has not weighed in on the sufficiency of a traffic impact analysis for the 11,750-home Hoopili development.
Orodenker disputed the contention of聽developer D.R. Horton’s vice-president, Cameron Nekota.
In fact, Orodenker, said, the LUC has no opinion on the matter.
D.R. Horton is seeking a zone change before the Honolulu Planning Commission on Wednesday and hoping to move forward with the project after four years of lawsuits and bureaucratic hurdles. But the development is still under fire from critics like Kioni Dudley of the group Friends of Makakilo, who most recently wrote a letter to the commission arguing that the city didn’t properly accept a traffic impact analysis report.
A sign advertising Aloun Farms sits on land that’s slated for development.
Anita Hofschneider/Civil Beat
In a Nov. 26 Civil Beat article, Nekota responded to Dudley’s assertion by saying, 鈥渢he State Office of Planning and the Land Use Commission have recognized that the necessary documents have been received.”
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser included the same quote in its story on Nov. 30 and Orodenker replied in a letter to the editor Tuesday:
“While the LUC is aware of the controversy regarding the fulfillment of conditions placed on the developer under the LUC Decision and Order of June 2012, the LUC has not rendered an opinion on the sufficiency of any approvals or acceptance of the traffic-impact analysis report,” Orodenker wrote.
He said聽the county is responsible for enforcing the conditions set forth in an LUC decision unless the LUC receives a formal complaint.
“As this has not occurred, the LUC currently has no position on the matter and awaits the county determination,” Orodenker said.
George Atta, director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, told Civil Beat last week that Department of Transportation Services Director Michael Formby wrote a letter Feb. 4 stating that the department had reviewed the revised draft traffic impact analysis report and had no further comment.
“The Department of Planning and Permitting, which is the accepting agency, viewed this letter as DTS signing off on the TIAR,” Atta said in a statement.
The Honolulu Planning Commission will consider the matter Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. If the commission approves the application, it will go next to the City Council.
