A Major Overhaul Of Honolulu Land-Use Rules Has Been Quietly Advancing. Now, Some Say Not So Fast 1 The wide-ranging bill would change zoning rules for thousands of Oahu properties. But it has gone largely unnoticed until now.
City officials are rewriting a big chunk of Honolulu’s zoning code — the first such effort in decades — raising concerns in many corners, including with City Council Chair Tommy Waters, who is taking steps to slow it down.
The measure would affect a wide range of properties, including agricultural lands, mixed-commercial areas, housing construction, residential treatment homes and agritourism destinations. Bill 10 has drawn hundreds of comments, many critical, as people learn through the grapevine about the proposed zoning changes.
Kualoa Ranch fears that its popular wedding business, which helps support its growing farm enterprises, could be stifled; aging farmers who live on small plots of land fear being ousted from their homes because they aren’t cultivating enough acreage; farm stands say they might be forced out of business or have their operations curtailed.
