Yesterday I came across what appears to be a draft letter to the editor written by my mother. It’s typed on “Season’s Greetings” stationary with an island theme, featuring Santa in a bathing suit carrying a frisbee, followed by a reindeer weighted down with surfboard, towels, beach mats, and other gear.

The draft is dated: March 17, 2006, two months before her 92nd birthday.

It’s not her most elegant letter, but it does make a point. She was offended by the idea of tearing down a perfectly good house, in this case a recently renovated one, in order to build an extravagant new structure still zoned for single family use.

I have no indication it was ever sent or published.

It has come to my attention that a home next to ours on Kealaolu that was renovated less than two years ago at an extensive cost, is to be bulldozed for the construction of a new multimillion dollar project.

I had an opportunity to inspect the house this morning and was amazed to find such an elaborate interior. All new inlaid bamboo floors, lighting fixtures valued in the thousands, kitchen and bathroom drainboards in specialized granite, bathroom mirrors and cabinets the best, kitchen and bathroom fixtures all first class.

I have heard the comment that there should be a law against pulverizing a very livable home to be replaced by a huge unlivable place the law says can only accommodate a single family. The lots in our area are about 12,000 foot average. I’m told that with the value of the lots in the area now, one cannot afford to keep an average bungalow type house in place. I cannot help but wonder if this same thinking is going on in other parts of the country where property values are beginning to skyrocket.