Briefing on Public Land Development Corporation to be Held

Honolulu — The Senate Committee on Water, Land and Housing and House Committee on Water, Land and Ocean Resources will be holding a joint informational briefing to discuss the progress and status of the Public Land Development Corporation on Thursday, October 6, 2011. The briefing will take place at the State Capitol’s room 16 at 2 p.m.

“The briefing will provide the public and Legislature an update on the progress of the Public Land Development Corporation since we last met in August,” said Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Land and Housing. “The hiring of an Executive Director, status of rules, and an annual calendar of meetings are among the topics that will be discussed.”

“Through this Corporation, we aim to maximize our resources by utilizing our public facilities. Some are dilapidated and not being used but through the public-private partnerships the areas can be improved,” said Senator Dela Cruz. “The bottom line is, we must create jobs and this is an out-of-the box opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs to partner with the State to get the economy going again,” he added.

“Through this opportunity, we hope to stimulate the economy in small communities, such as Wahiawa.”

“We must strive to make our state competitive in the global economy, which it lacks at this time. Before we can put tax increases on the table, we must look at all of our assets and determine if we have maximized revenue opportunities with our state facilities. And this program does just that,” added Senator Dela Cruz.

The Corporation will also identify public lands that are suitable for redevelopment, administer marketing analysis to determine the best revenue-generating programs for the public lands, enter into public-private agreements to appropriately redevelop the public lands and provide the leadership for the redevelopment, financing, improvement, or enhancement of the selected redevelopment opportunities.

The overall purpose of the Corporation is to generate revenues that may be used to offset the regulatory functions of DLNR. The Corporation is tasked to administer a culturally appropriate sensitive program that will make optimal use of public lands for the economic, environmental and social benefit for the people of Hawaii.

Senate Committee on Water, Land and Housing Chair Donovan Dela Cruz introduced Senate Bill 1555 during the 2011 Legislature, which subsequently became law when Governor Abercrombie put his signature on the bill in May. The measure (Act 55), established the Public Land Development Corporation which will serve as an arm of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

No public testimony will be accepted at the briefing.

For special assistance or auxiliary aids and/or services to participate in the informational briefing (i.e., sign language interpreter or wheelchair accessibility), please contact the Committee Clerk at 586-6090 to make a request for arrangements at least 24 hours prior to the briefing. Prompt requests help to ensure the availability of qualified individuals and appropriate accommodations.