Thanks for this article, Denby. Much needed. We did try to say "Stop. Enough already" to the erection of a building  in our neighborhood with little redeeming grace-- except the prospect of maximizing income for its foreign owners, while blocking views, light and breezes for the houses right next to it. None of our questions or concerns merited thoughtful responses from Avalon, the developer of 7000 Hawaii Kai. http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/12/run-over-by-a-well-oiled-machine-in-hawaii-kai/  As we noted then:."The  Department of Planning and Permitting had given the developer the green light despite the fact that several conditions of the agreement on which the Neighborhood Board’s approval was based do not seem to have been honored." Apparently developers can get away with paying lip service to their "sense of place" and dispensing platitudes about enhancing the character of the neighborhood.