Honolulu Residents Don't Want National Recognition
07/15/2010
Flickr: cliff1066
A new program that would designate the heart of Hawaii as a heritage area is drawing fire from some who live and work within its proposed borders.
The proposed Hawaii Capital National Heritage Area would cover a 16-square-mile swath of land stretching from Kalihi Street to Punahou Street, from the ocean to the pali: the boundaries of the ancient ahupuaa of Honolulu and Kapalama.1
It would be the first of its kind in the state — and one of the first in the Western U.S. — if a bill currently stuck in a U.S. congressional committee is passed. The federal designation would preserve the colorful history of the area and would provide grant funding for various arts, culture and heritage programs in need of help, proponents say.
Why would anyone object to such a thing?
It turns out that some residents and business owners who make their living or make their homes in the impacted area — which includes Chinatown, Downtown, Kakaako, Kalihi, Liliha, Makiki, Nuuanu, Palama, Pauoa and Tantalus — are concerned that the legislation authorizing the designation could create more problems than it solves.
A loose group of opponents have collected their concerns in one place: http://realhawaiicapitalnationalheritageareainfo.com/. The site, launched in May 2010, refutes much of the work of the Hawaii Capital Cultural Coalition, a group established in 2003. The Sustainability/Feasibility Study — a 41-megabyte PDF document — is a key part of the push for the Hawaii Capital National Heritage Area.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the heritage area measured 1,500 acres — a number that represents the size of the Hawaii Capital Cultural District, a small piece of the proposal located in downtown. The actual size of the heritage area is 16.192 square miles — or more than 10,000 acres. The story also incorrectly said the boundaries were defined by the ahupuaa of Honolulu. The heritage area also encompasses the ahupuaa of Kapalama. ↩
