Gov. Neil Abercrombie personally called several state House lawmakers Wednesday and urged them to approve the financing for land preservation at Turtle Bay Resort, while House leaders said a vote count was still fluid.
The House will decide Thursday — the last day of the session — on a bill that would authorize $40 million in state revenue bonds to help acquire a conservation easement and protect 665 acres at Turtle Bay from future development.
The bill would restructure debt on the Hawai‘i Convention Center and devote hotel-room tax money to cover annual debt service on the revenue bonds. Abercrombie, the city, a private land trust and the resort’s developers reached a $48.5 million agreement last month on the conservation easement.
Abercrombie said state Attorney General David Louie and state Budget Director Kalbert Young have vetted the financing bill, which was crafted by state Sen. David Ige (D, Pearl Harbor-Pearl City-Aiea), the governor’s opponent in the Democratic primary.
"It may be a little unusual, but it’s perfectly viable," the governor said of the financing in an interview.
Abercrombie is telling lawmakers that a conservation easement is better than the state buying or condemning the Turtle Bay land.
"The conservation easement is a way of saving money out of the public treasury, accommodating the landowner’s interest, and meeting the public interest in terms of permanent access and permanent nature of the viability of the easement," the governor said, adding that the deal is a culmination of years of effort to preserve land on the North Shore amid development pressures.
"My point to any of the legislators is that this solves and resolves an ongoing clash of interests that has been unable to be concluded for literally decades," he said.
Several lawmakers are skeptical about the Turtle Bay deal and have had questions about public access to the conservation easement and other details. Some maintain the Legislature should take more time to review the terms of the agreement before authorizing the bond money.
The Senate approved the financing bill on Tuesday, so the bill’s fate is up to the House.
"I would say that the votes are still fluid," said House Majority Leader Scott Saiki (D, Downtown-Kakaako-McCully).
Abercrombie, meanwhile, signed a bill into law on Wednesday that reduces his power over appointments to the Hawaii Community Development Authority and also essentially freezes building height limits and expands public-notice requirements on Kakaako development projects.
The bill had widely been seen as a check by the Legislature on both Abercrombie and the HCDA, which has been criticized by some as too eager to allow the rapid development of Kakaako. The governor had once backed a 650-foot high-rise residential tower in Kakaako that would have exceeded existing height limits and would have been the tallest building in the state.
"My priority has always been to provide affordable housing for Hawaii’s working families," the governor said. "The bill does not change HCDA’s ability to further its mission and commitment to revitalize Honolulu’s urban core and provide much-needed housing opportunities to residents of all income levels."
Saiki and Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria (D, Kakaako-McCully-Waikiki) praised the governor’s decision to sign the bill.
"I’m grateful to the residents and all of the other interested parties who helped to draft this legislation," said Saiki, the bill’s sponsor. "I believe that it will improve the decision-making process at HCDA and that the entire state will benefit as a result."
Galuteria called the bill a compromise, given that some lawmakers and residents of Kakaako had wanted greater restrictions on development.
"With this law, our state can continue to move in a positive direction that balances our need for more housing with sustainable development and protecting our environment," he said in a statement.
Abercrombie, in his initial assessment of the session, said he was pleased that lawmakers approved an increase to the minimum wage, some funding for his preschool initiative, and money for programs for the elderly.
Abercrombie had called for a minimum wage increase during his past two State of the State addresses. President Barack Obama on Wednesday recognized Hawaii’s bill — which would gradually raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by January 2018 — during remarks at the White House urging a federal minimum wage of $10.10 an hour.
Lawmakers agreed to spend $3 million on Abercrombie’s limited plan for preschool at a select number of public schools. Lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have established a broader early childhood education program if voters were to approve a constitutional amendment in November that would allow public money for private preschool.
"When you go out for pizza you’d like to get the whole pizza," the governor said. "But absent that, I’ll take slices. And we’ve gotten some very significant slices so far. The main thing for me is it means preschool is on its way. We started with zero, and we’re moving steadily along."
Abercrombie said the state is on an "inevitable path" toward preschool, "both in terms of acceptance as a program, and in terms of a funding foundation that I think will build for the future."
Lawmakers also rejected Abercrombie’s proposal for tax relief for seniors. But the governor was appreciative of about $9 million in spending on senior programs, including $1.9 million for aging and disability resource centers.
