Land Use: A Right or a Privilege?

Michael Levine/Civil Beat

What if the answer to our land use problems is to cut back on government intervention in the private sector? What if we get rid of zoning regulations altogether?

We've devoted space here at Civil Beat to the dialog about the enforcement of existing land use regulations and the creation of new rules.

We covered the Hawaii Supreme Court's ruling in the Turtle Bay Environmental Impact Statement case, the state's ad hoc approach to preserving farmland and how the lack of farmable land hurts the state's quest for food and energy independence.

But the conservative point of view is often ignored in Hawaii politics due to the overwhelming dominance of the Democratic Party at all levels of government. A Tuesday gathering to discuss the failings of the state's land use policy was covered only by Civil Beat and the Hawaii Reporter, an event sponsor.

Speaking were David Callies, a University of Hawaii law professor; Tom Dinell, founder of the urban and regional planning program at UH; and Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. They drew a crowd of about 20, including conservative leaders.

Loading