HAWAIIAN OCEAN VIEW ESTATES – While in Ocean View on August 15, the Ka’u Community Development Plan Steering Committee heard from numerous residents who are opposed to a large solar panel project planned for 26 lots in the Hawaiian Ranchos subdivision.

Many of them are united behind a committee called Preserve Hawaii’s Rural Communities. Up until now the community has not had much input on the project. There have been a few well attended meetings held in recent weeks, and the CDP meeting was another opportunity for the group to voice their concerns.

There is not much the Ka’u Community Development Plan can do to stop the project. The best these residents can hope for is developing safeguards that would prevent this sort of thing from happening again, without warning, in the future. For example, Policy 135 in the proposed CDP calls for use permits for renewable energy and other potential incompatible uses on ag land.