KAILUA-KONA — Public opposition to a proposed 306-unit condominium development in Kahaluu has led to a contested case hearing on the massive timeshare plan.
Fragile burials and historic sites as well as traffic congestion and human impacts on a culturally significant area top the list of concerns for residents who have submitted written testimony on the plan and packed meeting chambers last week to discourage the Leeward Planning Commission from granted the special management area permit needed for the Ocean Villas at Kahaluu to move ahead.
Opponents refer repeatedly to an already overcrowded bay, bumper-to-bumper traffic on Alii Drive and the 43-acre project area’s cultural legacy, which they say has not yet been fully explored by archaeologists, but is almost certainly incompatible with the scale of development proposed.
“The largest archaeological site ever found on the entire island, heiau, presence of various chiefs,” said Simmy McMichael, who petitioned for the contested case hearing. “Many archaeology sites are still not completed. The State Historic Preservation Division requests that concerns be addressed prior to issuance of the SMA permit. Cultural resources committee all voted against this project. Building 306 timeshares, 2 swimming pools, underground utilities, on this sacred land should not be allowed.”
But the developers say they are following all of the steps required to responsibly build out land which is identified for resort use in the County General Plan. The project area is mauka of the bay, Alii Drive and Kahaluu Beach Lots. A 2015 environmental study found no significant impacts from the project.
More than 30 people testified before the Leeward Planning Commission last Thursday, almost all of them opposed to the project. The commission granted the petition for the contested case hearing — a quasi-judicial proceeding with testimony, witnesses and cross examinations, overseen by a hearings officer or the Planning Commission. The hearing date has not yet been set.
McMichael’s petition evokes state and county trust provisions for conserving natural beauty and resources, including a section of the County Charter charging its leaders with conserving and protecting “wahi pana, surf spots, historic sites and historic structures.”
“The entire land, not just the specific objects or structures, is the historic district,” McMichael said.
Officials with the National Park Service Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail have reservations of their own about the plan, saying the Kahaluu Trail likely crosses the property and more work needs to be done to document the cultural resources on the site.
“The applicant would significantly alter the look and feel of Kahaluu Bay indefinitely, and the integrity of the historic district for future generations,” according to NPS, which said SMA approvals should be withheld until all trails on the land are properly documented.
Project consultant William Moore said the Kahaluu Trail likely follows an existing road, then passes through areas designated for open space or historic preservation. The development itself is well away from the trail, Moore said.
Moore said he wasn’t surprised the project went to a contested case, given the concerns raised.
“It’s part of the process we have to go through,” Moore said.
Moore is not sure it will be possible to convince residents the plan is a sound one.
“There are fears and there are perceptions but we tried to do as much science as we could,” he said.
Preservation of the area has also been called for by the Daughters of Hawaii, and Kahaluu Bay Villas homeowners said that supporting roadways need to be built before the project is allowed to move ahead.
“This valuable site, rich with the remnants of our culture, is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and the State Inventory of Historic Places,” wrote Peahi Spencer, vice-regent of Daughters of Hawaii, in an April 20 letter to the Planning Department.
“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she wrote.
The first phase of the development would place 100 timeshares in three-story buildings costing around $30 million to construct. Further buildout would depend on market conditions. Thirty-one acres of the land are set for open space and historical preservation.
Moore said a traffic study that was part of the EA approved by the county last year showed the project would have minimal impact on congestion in the area.
“On big surf days, Alii Drive is gridlock but so is most of Kona, and that’s not what we measure,” he said. “We have perception, and then we have a study.”
Whether it was archaeological surveys, burial treatment plans or data recovery, the developer has complied with everything asked of it by the regulatory agencies, Moore said.
The land contains 58 historical sites — 17 of them deemed significant by archaeologists. The land’s 247 historical features include 59 platforms, 44 mounds, 31 enclosures, 21 terraces and a burial crypt.
Ocean Villas at Kahaluu Bay LLC is under contract to purchase the land from Kamehameha Investment Corp.
