Suggestions sought for open space acquisition

HILO —Having acquired almost 1,000 acres for protection since its inception in 2006, the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission is asking the public to nominate more parcels for consideration.

The commission, meeting Monday in Hilo, announced a June 28 deadline for people to submit nominations for parcels to be purchased or otherwise acquired. The commission will then prepare a ranked list for Mayor Billy Kenoi’s consideration.

In addition to purchasing the 955 acres, worth $7.75 million, through county, state and federal grants, the commission has forwarded a long list of recommendations to the mayor. Working from the list, the County Council has created resolutions allowing for the purchase of some of the parcels.

The commission, which meets bimonthly, starts its ranking process anew each year with properties nominated by the public. The nomination forms can be found on the commission’s website by clicking on the link at hawaiicounty.gov/boards-and-commissions.

Money comes from the open space fund first approved by voters in 2006. The subsequent charter amendment takes 2 percent of property taxes each year and puts it in the fund to purchase land for environmental, cultural or historical preservation, shoreline access or recreation and education. That comes to about $4.4 million a year.

One parcel has been nominated so far this year. Two residents asked the commission Monday to help purchase a 10,000-square-foot parcel adjacent to Honolii Beach Park, a popular surf spot about 1 1/2 miles north of Hilo.

The property had been on the brink of sale to someone planning on building a house on it, but neighbors prevailed and convinced the seller and buyer to back out, said Steve Welsh, who lives in the neighborhood.

“It’s just a beautiful spot and it’s been open and used for generations to check the surf. … We believe it’s an extension of the park,” Welsh said. “Having one or more beach accesses or open space on the ocean lost to another home built is just a shame.”

The seller, Ed Olson, has donated or sold many acres to county and state government in the past. He had purchased the land for $300,000 but would take $55,000 off that price for the county, said his representative, Sammie Stanbro, of Holualoa, one of the initiators of the petition drive to get the open space fund on the ballot.

“This property is exactly the reason we did the 2 percent (fund),” Stanbro said. “Hundreds of people a day use this property.”

Stanbro told county Property Manager Ken Van Bergen she would find out if there’s an appraisal for the property, after he pointed out the county by law can pay no more than appraised value.

Commissioner Dean Au said he often visits the site. He called county acquisition of the property a “no-brainer.”

“The landowner wants to give it up and the neighbors have no problem,” Au said. “That is a nice place and we need to preserve it.”

The county is moving forward on several other properties previously ranked by the commission, Van Bergen said. Delays have come from getting paperwork processed by the state.

The acquisition of Kaiholena in North Kohala is getting help from a $1.6 million state Legacy Land grant, but it’s awaiting an outside appraisal, as the Department of Land and Natural Resources no longer has an in-house appraiser. An attempt to purchase an East Hawaii priority, Pohoiki Bay in Puna, awaits a subdivision approval.

“There’s nothing we can do but wait for DLNR,” Van Bergen said.

Van Bergen said after the meeting that criteria used by the administration after the property is ranked by the commission and approved by the County Council include a willing seller, matching funds from other sources and equity around the island. So far, he said Ka‘u and Kohala have gotten the “lion’s share” of the 2 percent fund.