Idiots Building CLOSER to the Ocean

As I predicted a couple of years ago, wealthy buyers of oceanfront property on Kailua Beach were going to use Oahu's lax shoreline setback rules as an opportunity to rebuild closer and closer to the sea in order to "leap-frog" other houses that were being rebuilt by people who don't even live in these ugly box-like mini-hotels. All this while there is growing evidence of climate change and melting glaciers, which is contributing to rising sea levels across the planet.

Don't believe me? I recommend you watch CHASING ICE, a harrowing documentary about a National Geographic photographer who embarked on a difficult mission to photograph what's happening with melting glaciers around the world. Anyone who thought Al Gore was possibly exaggerating the threat in AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH a few years ago should be forced to see this movie. Now. It turns out, no one foresaw that global warming is happening faster than anyone could predict. CHASING ICE is available on Netflix through instant streaming. See it.

Meanwhile, in Kailua Beach the news media has been preoccupied with major beach erosion that has been going on at the south end towards Lanikai. Yes, that's alarming. The causes aren't clear though, and could be part of a natural cycle. However, what has already been documented is the fact that allowing houses or artificial barriers such as sea walls -- or even vegetation -- to encroach on the shoreline, hastens erosion. We've seen it in Kahala Beach and Lanikai. Now property owners are doing the same thing on the north end of Kailua Beach, but the news media ignores it. Why?

Simple reason, really: there's no parking near the only public beach access at that end, so reporters and cameramen would have to hike a fair distance to do a story on it. And since the lack of access results in far fewer beach-goers at that end, there's less attention paid to the ongoing desecration of what used to be a stable shoreline because the older homes were built far back enough to allow the natural sand dunes to adjust to natural changes and conditions.

Here's some photos to show you what's been happening. The first is from a couple of years ago:



See the newer house on the right? It leapfrogged a newly-rebuilt house to the right of it that is pictured below, and cut off the views of the older house on the left with the "For Sale" sign.



Flash forward to the present. Remember that older house with the "For Sale" sign? Well, looks like someone bought it and decided turn-about is fair play! And you can probably guess what will happen next: that house to the left of the older one under construction now, will probably be sold to someone who will rebuild right next to the other two... closer to the ocean.

Beach Erosion is Real

For the past two years, I've been writing in this blog about the need to establish better shoreline setback requirements on Oahu because there was evidence that wherever homes are allowed to be built closer to the ocean, erosion of beaches happens at a faster rate. This week studies were released that confirmed what I and others have been warning about.

However, it's not just sea walls and homeowners purposely growing plants like naupaka to grab more beach land that is causing our beaches to erode. Some of it can be linked to rising sea levels and climate change. Whatever the cause, it seems the best antidote is for our State and county government officials to establish stronger setback rule. There should be none of this nonsense about allowing current homeowners to rebuild CLOSER to the beach as is the case in Kailua at the moment. In the past two years, I've seen at least a half dozen houses that were demolished, then built from the ground floor up as close to the ocean as legally possible.

Here's links to stories that go into more detail about the study:

Honolulu Star-Advertiser article

KITV News Report

USGS Study

New Year, New Faces in Government

On Sat., Jan. 10, freshman State Rep. Chris Lee (Lanikai,Waimanalo district) became the first elected official to take me up on my offer to walk the walk, instead of just talking the talk...

I had emailed him last week about our frustrations with lack of action by the City Council and State on beach access and shoreline management issues. Rather than meet at his office in the State Capitol building, I suggested we stroll down Kalaheo Avenue from the Kailuana beach access to the next closest public right of way, which is over a half mile away. Chris said yes.

We also walked along the beach where I was able to show him four new houses that are being re-built CLOSER to the ocean -- despite evidence of beach erosion and projected sea level rise. Seeing is believing, and I think it made an impact on Chris when a Kailua resident came up to us and pointed at the "monstrosity" on Namala Place that is being built directly in front of an older home, cutting off their ocean view. Nice.

Coincidentally, on the front page of the Sunday Star-Bulletin there's a big story about "Saving Kailua Beach"...

The rapid erosion of one of Oahu's most popular beaches spurs multiagency action

STORY SUMMARY
The city, state and federal government are taking steps that could eventually counteract the erosion of Kailua Beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the state Department of Health are working together to get needed permits and clearances to allow sand from Kaelepulu Stream to be used to replenish the rapidly disappearing beach. A public meeting was held last summer.

The state also hired a consultant to examine the problem and come up with options by 2010. Beach users say something needs to be done soon.

"In the last two to three years, the shoreline has dramatically eroded," said Chip Fletcher, a professor in the Geology and Geophysics Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Read the rest of the Star-Bulletin article by clicking here.

While I'm glad Chip and others are on the case, the question remains: why has it taken this long? Why isn't there a State coastal commission or task force that is looking at both short term and long term steps that should be taken to protect our beaches?

Meanwhile, since the Honolulu City Council has failed to act on shoreline setbacks, you can be sure other new beachfront homeowners will re-build closer to the ocean, which is likely to hasten beach erosion in the near future.