LETHEM CONDEMNS HCDA ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE APPROVAL OF HOWARD HUGHES WARD VILLAGE PROJECT

News Release from Lethem Campaign October 12, 2014

Senate Dist 12 candidate Chris Lethem (Waikiki-Moiliili-Kaka’ako) has condemned any Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) effort to speed up approval of developer Howard Hughes’ Ward Village. Hughes seeks to break three rules restricting the Kaka’ako luxury condo project.

The approval meeting is currently scheduled for December 3, after the expiration of the term of the current board on December 1.

Lethem said the speed-up is “a transparent device to ensure that Abercrombie appointees on the developer-biased HCDA board can approve the Hughes project before their terms expire.”

Lethem added that “given widespread opposition to the current HCDA board granting developers variance after variance at the expense of the community, any new HCDA board is likely to take a much harder look at the Hughes’ proposal.”

Lethem called for consideration of the Hughes project by regular order, which would mean at a January board meeting at the earliest, with a fuller opportunity for community input prior to the new board’s decision.

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Oct 12, 2014: "HCDA will have two members of the new governor's Cabinet plus two other picks by the new governor on its nine-member board."