“Special Lands In Public Hands”

Governor Calls for State Acquisition of Maunawili Ag and Preservation Lands

In his 2019 State of the State Address, Governor David Ige specifically called out Maunawili as an area that the State should acquire and preserve to protect Kailua’s watershed, rich agricultural lands and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. 

Noting that the private landowner (HRT/Weinberg) has proposed to subdivide and develop Maunawili, the Governor said that the State wishes to negotiate acquisition agreements with them to protect natural resources and recreational areas.  He noted that the State, the Trust for Public Land and other partners have recently accomplished similar acquisitions, saving important lands from uncontrolled development. 

“Our future requires that over time – we, as a state, acquire and preserve more and more land – either as state land or in the hands of partners like the Trust for Public Lands and the Nature Conservancy. If we want green spaces, if we want to grow our own food, if we want places for recreation, if we want clean, fresh water, if we want the environmental that has been so central to Hawa‘i’s life, we need to have special lands in public hands. ….

…Kane‘ohe and Maunawili both include areas that the landowners have proposed for housing development.

But they also contain the mauka source of freshwater streams that feed ancient lo‘i and flow into vital coastal waters of Kane‘ohe Bay and Kawainui Marsh.

They contain some of the richest agricultural lands on O‘ahu and have been farmed by ancient Hawaiians for centuries.

They are irreplaceable natural resources and part of the economic, ecological and cultural heritage of Ko-o-lau-poko.

These places are worth saving for us and for future generations.”

The Governor is requesting increased funding for land conservation by removing the $6.8 million cap on the 10% conveyance tax to the Legacy Land Conservation Program. He has also instructed the Department of Land and Natural Resources to prioritize coordination of the acquisition of these parcels.

Read the complete text of the State of the State Address here: hawaii.gov

Video — the section on planned development, including Maunawili, begins at 24:10: C-SPAN