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Time share and hotel project 'not a resort,' developer says

by Bobby Command
West Hawaii Today
bcommand@westhawaiitoday.com
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:32 AM HST

Kona Kai Ola will provide significant regional benefits to the Kona community by privately funding a marina, the extension of Kuakini Highway and other infrastructure improvements.

The developer also contends the $1.8 billion project, despite featuring time-share units and hotel rooms, is not a resort.

Those claims are made in the 3,712-page final environmental impact statement for the project prepared by the developer, the release of which was announced by the Environmental Notice, the state Department of Health's semi-monthly publication. The electronic version of the document is almost 425 megabytes in size.

Proposed on behalf of the state by the Jacoby Group of Atlanta, Kona Kai Ola was announced Saturday as an environmentally sustainable marina-focused development on 530 acres near Honokohau Harbor featuring 700 hotel units, 1,803 time-share units, 800-slip marina and commercial uses.

The size of the project comes despite Jacoby saying last week that it was reducing the number of time shares to 1,100 and the hotel rooms to 400. Jacoby, which said it was reducing the size of the project in response to community concerns, also said it would cut the size of the marina in half but tripled the size of its commercial component.

Jacoby spokesman David Tarnas, a former state politician, said the project in the final EIS was announced in its original configuration because the proposed changes have not been approved by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

According to the Environmental Notice, the final EIS was approved by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands -- one of the two state agencies along with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources that sought out Jacoby to begin planning the commercial resort project. DHHL would also profit from lease rent of the development site, should it be approved.

The "significant" regional improvements include a three-mile connection of the north end of Kuakini Highway with Kealakehe Parkway, the marina and upgrades to the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Despite the state and the developer touting the benefits of the project, especially the two state agencies which control the public lands being proposed for the project, there is significant doubt by residents and local government about what Kona Kai Ola has to offer the community.

A majority of the Hawaii County Council recently passed a resolution calling for a pause in the approval of development in Kona and Kohala. Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann, Kohala, said last week that he was encouraged by the downsizing of the project but was still concerned about the impacts the project would have on local infrastructure.

Chris Yuen, Hawaii County planning director, has said the project will encourage more development in an area that is short on services. He added that Kona Kai Ola is inconsistent with the Hawaii County General Plan because the project is a resort.

This discrepancy was pointed out numerous times by those who commented on the EIS.

However, Jacoby's Honolulu-based consultant Dayan Vithanage of Oceanit claims that the project, despite its hotel rooms and time-share units, is not a resort.

"A resort is a concept in which visitors are attracted to spend most, if not all, of their stay within the resort area through the design of amenities that fulfill the needs of a particular visitor market segment," Vithanage countered numerous times in response to concerns by residents.

Vithanage also countered the county's concerns saying that the Hawaii County Code permits hotels and time-share units in nonresort zoning districts.

Also, Oceanit claimed the down-sized project is consistent with the current draft of the Kona Community Development Plan and the community vision for the proposed development area.

There are 6 comment(s) comments to this story.

elimalani wrote on Sep 12, 2007 4:37 PM:

" I do not see what this development, hotel, resort or whatever it wants to be called, will bring to the community. I see more traffic, more crowding, less open space for the kamaaina, etc. Let them build on O'ahu... "

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chuckf wrote on Sep 12, 2007 12:09 PM:

" This project is illegal. State law prohibits the state from entering into agreements that conflict with county zoning. Second, 13 of 15 maps created by the public at a Kona Community Development Plan meeting designated the Kona Kai Ola area as OPEN and PROTECTED. Another Dishonest developer. "

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xyz123 wrote on Sep 12, 2007 11:47 AM:

" We need more boat slips in Kona!. Let them build. "

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bigfresh wrote on Sep 12, 2007 10:34 AM:

" classic hawaii- developer pays off government, citizens bend over and life goes on as usual. "

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koatrees wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:41 AM:

" 800 more boats trying to exit and enter the existing channel would result in Queen K type of traffic snarls only with boats idling in the water. Hmmmm. "

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koatrees wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:40 AM:

" 800 more boats entering and exiting in front of the current loading/gas dock to go out the single channel. It's crazy. We suggested to their consultant an additional exit channel and an additional service dock to be constructed and at specific locations that would work. "

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