Last summer Representative Gene Ward circulated a petition urging Kamehameha Schools to keep Kamilo Nui Valley used for agriculture. Now, under his successor Representative Joe Gedeon, we are again asking for you to join the grassroots efforts to preserve portions of Hahaione Valley which are next on the list for lease expiration. Specifically, the land currently home to JAIMS, 7-11, and other businesses along Hawaii Kai Drive will have their leases expire in 2028. The future of this area is uncertain after this date, with possible new development impacting the views of the entire valley.
A group of concerned residents, assembled as Hahaione Advocates for Respectful Development (HARD), is seeking to get ahead of these changes. We urge you to sign this petition now to show Kamehameha Schools that our community does not want major changes to Hahaione Valley.
Please see the full petition literature below:
PETITION TO PRESERVE AND MAINTAIN THE JAIMS BUILDING AND TREES AT 6660 HAWAII KAI DRIVE AND ADJOINING PROPERTIES MAUKA OF HAWAII KAI DRIVE BETWEEN PEPEEKEO AND HAHAIONE STREETS
The petitioners thank Fujitsu Ltd. for creating in 1972 the Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS) as a nonprofit educational institute for cross-cultural business communications, and for developing and maintaining the serene and beautiful two-story building nestled under the magnificent trees at 6660 Hawaii Kai Drive for over 50 years. While fostering international relations in Asia-Pacific, JAIMS locally has also been a valued neighbor. JAIMS’s beautifully maintained trees and landscaping have created a green canopy that enhances our quiet residential community’s overall appearance and property values, reduces traffic noise and pollution, provides physiological and emotional benefits for people, and helps to cool our urban area and sequester carbon in the global fight against ever rising temperatures.
As the leases for the land underlying JAIMS and adjoining properties are set to expire in 2028, however, the petitioners are concerned about potential increased development of the properties located mauka of Hawaii Kai Drive between Pepeekeo and Hahaione Streets and the potential adverse impacts, including the loss of ocean view planes and environmental quality; increased traffic, noise, and air pollution; and more crime and security risks. Therefore, we hereby request:
- The landowner Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate (KSBE) preserve and maintain the JAIMS building and trees at 6660 Hawaii Kai Drive; and
- Any governmental entities not approve plans or permits to allow for an increase in the current buildings’ height or the removal or destruction of healthy trees over 25 feet tall on the properties located mauka of Hawaii Kai Drive between Pepeekeo and Hahaione Streets.
