Hawaii County's next long-range land use blueprint cleared a major hurdle Saturday as the County Council advanced Bill 66, the ordinance to adopt the County of Hawai‘i General Plan 2045, after hours of spirited and sometimes tense public testimony. Supporters argued the plan charts a path toward climate resilience and more concentrated growth, while opponents warned it threatens private property rights and could destabilize rural livelihoods.
The council voted 6-3 to move the measure forward, sending the 20-year plan to a second and final reading. As reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, dozens of residents told council members the draft would effectively "abolish fossil fuels" and might reclassify private lands into conservation zones.
What's in the 2045 plan
The General Plan 2045 serves as a 20-year policy framework that outlines climate adaptation strategies, a net-zero carbon goal, tighter land use guidance and ways to expand public transit and renewable energy across the island. According to the County Planning Department and reporting from Civil Beat, the draft ties those objectives to maps and implementation steps designed to focus growth in urban centers while preserving agricultural lands and key watershed areas.
Two competing versions
The fight now revolves around two dueling texts. One is the Planning Department's detailed, hundreds-page draft. The other is a 71-page substitute introduced by Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz that she has nicknamed the "2026 Plan." Planners and many testifiers argued the streamlined version removes maps and technical requirements and amounts to a "complete rewrite" of work that took years to assemble, as detailed by Prism News.
Public pushback and a legal challenge
Public testimony grew increasingly heated at recent hearings, with speakers warning the plan could impose new burdens on ranchers, farmers and other private landowners. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported that at least one resident, Aaron Zeeman, filed paperwork seeking a preliminary injunction through the Office of Corporation Counsel to halt the council vote while the legality of the process is argued in court.
Council split and what comes next
The vote laid bare sharp divisions on the council. Those opposed to advancing the 2045 draft included Dennis "Fresh" Onishi, Ashley Kierkiewicz and Holeka Inaba. Supporters such as Michelle Galimba and Rebecca Villegas said the goals behind the plan are sincere and argued that technical fixes and map corrections could be handled later if the ordinance is allowed to move ahead. Civil Beat noted that even backers flagged errors and called for post-adoption amendments, and county documents indicate Bill 66 must still return to the full council for required readings before it can be transmitted to the mayor for final action (Hawaii County).
With litigation pending and rival visions of the island's future still on the table, the General Plan battle is unlikely to wrap up anytime soon. Officials said approving a framework now would at least give the next council a working document to amend, rather than leaving Hawaii County without an updated long-range guide.
