On Christmas Eve 2006, the Honolulu City Council approved a $4B+ “fixed guideway” mass transit system to run from somewhere in West Oahu to somewhere in town. The nature of the system has not been selected (rail, busway, something else), nor has the route. But in January 2007, a half-percent increase in the general excise tax became effective, the proceeds from which are earmarked for the transit system. City officials say it’s a “go.”
I’ve made a few comments about the impact of a mass transit project on property owners (here, here, here, and here), but it is too early in the process to note any concrete legal developments. I’ve included the fixed guideway story in 2006’s land use highlights, however, since I suspect the legal issues will loom larger and larger as the project — the largest public works project in Hawaii’s history — moves forward.