Contested Case Hearing Would Extend The Legal Saga Over Crumbling Kakaako Streets
The private company that claims ownership and charges for parking on Kakaako roadways claims its recent $250,000 fine is baseless.
Kakaako Land Company is calling for a contested case hearing over the $250,000 fine it received last month for failing to properly maintain many of the roads it claims to own in Kakaako.
It’s the latest move in a years-long saga over the disputed roads in one of Honolulu’s up-and-coming neighborhoods, where condominium towers and trendy retail have taken shape in recent years.
The Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency that oversees Kakaako, issued the fine after months of warning that the company needed to fix the roads where it charges parking.
KLC has charged for parking and towed cars on the streets it controls for nearly a decade without repairing or maintaining them, stoking the ire of businesses, customers and area property owners. The company, owned by brothers Cedric and Calvert Chun, face legal disputes on multiple fronts.
House Speaker Scott Saiki last month said with the HCDA fine, KLC knows “the end is near.”
However, the company claims that the 2008 law its fine is based on is unconstitutional, and that it only started to charge for parking at HCDA’s urging about 10 years ago to help dissuade the homeless from taking shelter on those roads.
It’s not clear how long the proceedings would take, but a contested case hearing would certainly extend the dispute.
