LIHU‘E – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will hold a second round of community meetings, beginning with a session on Kaua‘i, to inform its beneficiaries of the latest updates on the Kaka‘ako land settlement proposal. The tentative land deal proposed
LIHU‘E – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will hold a second round of community meetings, beginning with a session on Kaua‘i, to inform its beneficiaries of the latest updates on the Kaka‘ako land settlement proposal.
The tentative land deal proposed by Gov. Abercrombie would give the Office of Hawaiian Affairs 30 acres of property in Kaka‘ako valued at an estimated $200 million.
If approved by the state Legislature, this agreement will finally resolve claims relating to the agency’s share of public land trust revenues from November 7, 1978 to June 30, 2012, according to a statement from the agency.
The public is invited to any of the 11 informational meetings. The first and only meeting on Kaua‘i is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday at Wilcox Elementary School in Lihu‘e.
Kaka‘ako is a 600-acre commercial and retail district in Honolulu.
Since 1978, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has made claims for payments for public land trust income and proceeds and has filed several lawsuits. The lawsuits have been dismissed on the grounds that it is a political question and up to the state Legislature to determine the appropriate amount of any settlement of the claims.
The state and OHA have agreed that $200 million represents a reasonable compromise of the disputed claims, according to the OHA.
The state has offered 10 parcels of land in Kaka‘ako Makai in its proposed settlement, including Fisherman’s Wharf.
The Hawai‘i Community Development Authority will continue to be the agency in charge of zoning and land use issues for the land, and the state is not giving up any mineral, surface or ground water rights.
All current leases would be transferred to the OHA, according to the agency’s proposal.
For more information, visit www.oha.org/kakaako.
