Could Oahu Use Another 12,000 Homes?

This past Friday, the State Land Use Commission voted against DR Horton's proposal to build 12,000 new homes on the Ewa plain between Waipahu and Kapolei. The project, named Ho'opili would be the largest project since Mililani in central Oahu by Castle and Cooke, which just completed last year after 40 years of development. It's also said to be similar size in scale to Hawaii Kai in east Oahu. There are two arguments to the development:

1. Pros: It would be great for the island in that it would tie in to the Mayor's proposed rail project and spur the economy with job creation & keep or lower housing costs
2. Cons: The proposed area would displace one of Oahu's largest farming areas. This is a section that is zoned Agriculture and is vital to Oahu farmers. There has been a lot of buzz lately about "sustainability" building these 12,000 home would kill that idea, create more traffic & cause property values to plunge even more for current owners...

Both are valid arguments. There is obviously a need for more affordable housing, yet what price do we pay? This saga is not over in that DR Horton can petition again once they get their ducks lined up in how they will go about the development in phases. They argued that over the 20 year span of the development, the farmers will "gradually" be displaced. Only time will tell..