City seeks to sell popular well-used Haleiwa Beach Park

Resolution 12-143 will be heard on Monday June 25, 2012.  This Resolution seeks City Council approval of closing and selling the 3.4 acre Haleiwa Beach Park Mauka.  The City seeks to utilize sealed “competitive” bidding between only Andy Anderson and Kamehameha Schools, the two owners of the land adjacent to Haleiwa Beach Park Mauka (Anderson abuts only one of the 6 TMKs that make up the Park). The minimum bid for the 3.4 acre coastal property is $300,000.

If passed, the Resolution triggers this chain of events: a) closing a public Park along heavily utilized North Shore coastline; b) eliminating active public use of a Park being cared for by the community; and c) selling 3.4 acre public Park to a private party for private purposes at a fraction of its real value to the public.

Residents island-wide are asking the City to retract this Resolution for these reasons.

1.  The price for the 3.4 acre Park at condemnation and purchase (from Kamehameha Schools and others) in 1970 was $262,476. Using the US Labor Department inflation calculator, the purchasing power of $262,476 in 2012 is $1,533,354.
     
2.  In 2009 the 3.4 acres of Park land had a City real property tax assessed value of $2.7 million, but mysteriously, its City assessed value dropped after Anderson announced his plans to purchase the Park land to $83,400 in 2012 (97% decline – www.honolulupropertytax.com).

No other nearby Park experienced such a precipitous devaluation by City staff.

3.  The adjacent makai portion of Haleiwa Beach Park was assessed by the same City tax assessment office at $22 million for 2012.

4.  Anderson purchased the directly adjacent .57 acre parcel for $2.3 million in September 2010 (Jameson’s Restaurant site).

5.  Proceeds from selling these Park lands are required by law to be used to purchase other Park lands.  Will the City be able to purchase another coastal Park in such a prime location?

6.  The 2011 North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan the Council and the Mayor approved in 2011 documents the North Shore has a “shortage of community-based parks” and that these 3.4 acres should be improved as “Haleiwa Beach Park Mauka” to address this
7.  Mayor Carlisle personally signed a thank you letter in March 2012 to the Hui o Hee Nalu for their stewardship of “Haleiwa Beach Park Mauka” under an official Adopt-a-Park agreement for this Park.

8.  In addition to being asked to bid to obtain their former property back, Kamehameha Schools has amicably offered an alternative revenue generating mechanism for the City.  Under this alternative the City retains the Park and receives a monthly fee from Kamehameha Schools for educational usage and safe access to Loko Ea Fishpond for children and families.

9. It is absurd for the City to call this valuable 3.4 acre property along the North Shore’s world renowned coastline “surplus” or “remnant” property.

If it is a good property for a hotel for visitors (Anderson’s proposed usage) surely it is also a good site for Park use by residents.

10. 1.5 acres at the Velzyland were to be transferred to the Parks Department ten years ago per City conditions placed on Anderson’s “Sunset Beach Colony” development in 2002. Ten years later and the title to the 1.5 acres has not been transferred to the Parks Department.  Similar Park “conditions” in Resolution 12-143 should be viewed with caution.

These are a few of the issues regarding the legality and underlying purpose of the City’s proposal.  Please contact Council members and the Mayor to stop Resolution 12-143 before more time and tax-payer money are wasted on this unprecedented process.

Signed,

James Estores, President, Malama Loko Ea Foundation
Gabby Kahaulelio, President, Hui o Hee Nalu
Bryan Amona and Chris Delaunay, Kailua
Schuyler E. “Lucky” Cole, Sunset Beach
Linda Legrande, Manoa
Elizabeth Reilly, Hawaii Kai
William W. “Billy” Saunders, Jr., Honolulu
Maile Shimabukuro, Waianae