As construction of Oahu’s rail-transit system progresses through urban Honolulu over the coming months and years, disruption and displacement are inevitable. There will be construction noise, traffic congestion and all the other inconveniences that go along with a major public-works project.
Some of the hassles will be temporary, associated only with construction. But for many private property owners along the 20-mile route from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, the dislocations will be permanent, as they relinquish all or part of their land for the public good.
These "takings," which are compensated by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation under a negotiated condemnation and appraisal process, affect numerous businesses, nonprofits and other organizations that are making way for the elevated rail line and its associated transit stations.
Among them is the Blood Bank of Hawaii, which serves a unique and irreplaceable role in preserving Hawaii’s public health.
It’s troubling that the Blood Bank and HART are so far apart in their assessment of the rail project’s potential impact on the collection, processing and disburse- ment of Hawaii’s blood supply. Both agencies serve a vital public interest, and public interest demands that they settle this dispute quickly and fairly.
HART maintains that it need take only a sliver of the Blood Bank’s land for its Dillingham Boulevard widening project, and gain a temporary construction easement. It aims to mitigate any site-access problems, as well as construction noise, dust and vibration, for work that is slated to begin later this year and last no more than a month.
The Blood Bank, however, insists that the rail project will permanently disrupt its delicate operations so fully that it has no choice but to relocate altogether, in order to ensure a safe and reliable blood supply for Hawaii. BBH, a nonprofit that operates within a tightly regulated industry subject to Food and Drug Administration rules and other licensing and accrediting criteria, is the sole primary source of blood and blood products for all civilian hospitals in Hawaii, and a supplementary source for Tripler Army Medical Center. It is moving forward with its relocation plan, and wants HART to pay for it, at an as-of-yet unspecified cost.
The dispute represents a classic case of competing public interests. HART must ensure that it wisely expends taxpayers’ dollars and does not overpay for private property or acquire more than necessary. The Blood Bank of Hawaii, meanwhile, must be proactive and prudent in pursuing its critical mission to protect the blood supply in a remote island state that lacks the quick interstate exchange of blood supplies so common on the mainland.
All property owners affected along the coming rail line must be treated fairly, but they are not all created equal. HART must recognize the Blood Bank’s overarching role and exercise every tool at its disposal to expedite an acceptable settlement.
That said, HART also operates under a strict regulatory framework, with property acquisitions over a certain amount requiring review by the Federal Transit Administration. The Blood Bank of Hawaii would go a long way toward making its case to the FTA by bolstering the information it has provided thus far to justify the relocation of its headquarters and main donor center.
If the risks of staying put are so dire as the Blood Bank contends — not only during the short construction phase but even after the train is up and running — there should be ample evidence from recognized authorities to back up those assertions.
This is only one of many property disputes that will arise as rail transit makes its way through Honolulu. But it’s an exceptionally high-stakes one, and deserves swift, special handling.
