Approve General Plan and then work with

It’s time to pass Kaua’i County’s General Plan update and get on with managing

the growth of the island.

The seemingly endless process of moving the plan

toward eventual approval is tentatively scheduled to end next Wednesday, the

day the County Council should vote to accept proposed amendments to the

document. Those amendments, approved this week by the council’s Planning

Committee, project 28,000 visitors on the island per day and call for

approximately 2,000 more residences, among other things. Sounds

reasonable.

Updated provisions of the plan have emerged from a succession

of meetings and public hearings, both in the council’s chambers in Lihu’e and,

for the convenience of residents in outlying areas, in communities around the

island. The arguments against proposed amendments have been heard over and

over. There is no way that opponents, as some have nevertheless insisted,

haven’t been heard, or that the revised plan doesn’t reflect citizen input.

Also, it’s hard to find much sense in claims that the council now is rushing to

adopt the changes before the one newly elected council member takes office.

Bill Asing, the new guy, has only one vote, and indications are that he

wouldn’t be able to rustle enough other votes of council members to alter the

course of the General Plan.

The debate over the plan can continue ad

nauseum, or it can shift to how best to manage Kauai’s inevitable growth within

the document’s amended framework. The second option is the best one.