Upcoming Event: The PLDC and Property Rights in Hawaii

by Robert Thomas, InverseCondemnation.com

On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 from 7:15 - 8:30 p.m., the University of Hawaii Law School is sponsoring a talk about "The PLDC and Property Rights in Hawaii," which will feature our Damon Key colleague Mark M. Murakami.

PLDC refers to the Public Land Development Corporation, a state agency created in 2011 to develop state-owned lands, primarily in concert with private entities. As Honolulu Civil Beat's information page on PLDC notes:

The corporation has broad powers for entering into private partnerships and establishing its own governing objectives and policies. It also is tasked with identifying state lands under DLNR that are suitable for development. The Board of Land and Natural Resources must approve all land transfers.

The corporation, with the approval of the governor, can also issue revenue bonds for constructing, acquiring and renovating public facilities, as well as for the acquisition of non-public lands.

Since its formation, the PLDC has become highly controversial, and the Hawaii Senate recently voted to repeal it. We moderated a panel on the issue at the Hawaii Land Use Conference in January, so the U.H. program will be a good update. 

The panel will discuss three issues: the different perspectives on the PLDC issue itself, how the controversy over the PLDC reflects the tensions underlying the property rights regime in Hawaii, and (in an unrelated but pressing subject for law students) the speakers' views on how to thrive in law school and the legal job opportunities after graduation.

Joining Mark on the panel are Professor Shelley Saxer (Pepperdine); Marti Townsend, Executive Director of the Outdoor Circle; and a panelist to be named later (perhaps a legislator involved in the issue). Stay tuned here for a follow up.

For more details on how to attend, contact Mark.