Hawaii Sierra Club wins Supreme Court Victory Against Koa Ridge Project

[mahina]

http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/70972152887/hawaii-sierra-club-wins-state-supreme-court-victory

(A very good thing, unless we can learn how to really eat rocks!)

"The Hawaii Supreme Court has struck down the state Land Use Commission’s 2010 decision to reclassify land which paved the way for Castle & Cooke’s highly contested planned residential development in Koa Ridge in central Oahu. Environment Hawaii reported Monday that the court ruled the deciding vote on the decision to reclassify the land from agricultural to urban shouldn’t have counted.

The Hawaii Sierra Club, an environmental group, waged the lawsuit against Castle & Cooke, the city and the state in an effort to stop the development, which would include 3,500 homes built on prime agricultural land more than two miles away from the nearest planned rail station.

“[The decision] affirms the importance of environmental watchdogs in the decision-making process,” said Robert Harris, head of the Hawaii Sierra Club. “It will also hopefully lead to a broader and more in-depth discussion about the future of agricultural land in Hawaii.”

Bruce Barrett, executive vice president for Castle & Cooke, said in a statement that Monday’s ruling doesn’t prevent the company from moving forward with the development, which is scheduled to break ground in 2015.
The company received a second approval from the LUC last year and completed city-level approvals last month. The Sierra Club, along with state Sen. Clayton Hee, is also in the process of appealing the LUC’s 2012 decision approving the Koa Ridge project.
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