HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A small public park in the middle of the city will not be public for much longer.
The city council has approved a sale that has raised suspicions among some neighbors.
Some Makiki residents had mixed feelings about the sale of the mini park on Piikoi Street.
Opponents of the sale are concerned about the fate of an old monkey puzzle tree in the park, but supporters hope that the sale will improve the area.
“I haven’t seen any children playing in it, and it actually seems to be a magnet for the homeless,” said one resident.
After several failed attempts to revitalize the park, the city is now selling it to RV Ventures, the owner of the adjacent residential building.
The city set the price for the 465 square meter property at $112,000 based on its own valuation.
Neighbor Amanda Kirby says it was a mistake.
“Unfortunately, selling a park is like selling a car because it needs an oil change. It doesn’t solve the problem and you’re giving up a huge resource for something even bigger than this,” Kirby said.
Kirby and others wanted to save the park.
She even applied for the Adopt-A-Park program in April.
However, a park spokesman said it was too late as the sales process was already underway.
We found that the crowd in the park was divided on this issue.
“I mean, as I said, the place is not used for anything at all,” said one resident.
“Even though our homeless community uses this park, they are part of the community and should still have access to green space,” Kirby said.
The city says RV Ventures was the only one to express interest in the property.
The company told the city council that it plans to erect a perimeter fence and beautify the area, but that it has no intention of removing the large monkey puzzle tree.
“RV Ventures promised a lot. I understand their concerns and reasons for privatizing the park, but they didn’t even allow a property restriction that would have protected this tree and this space from alteration or construction,” Kirby said.
Currently, no development is permitted on the property, but a zoning change is possible according to a decision by the city council.
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