Final permitting for a resort at Kapalawai in Makaweli is the subject of an upcoming public hearing before the Kaua’i County Planning Commission. The hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23 in the Mo’ikeha Building of the
Final permitting for a resort at Kapalawai in Makaweli is the subject of an upcoming public hearing before the Kaua’i County Planning Commission.
The hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23 in the Mo’ikeha Building of the Lihue Civic Center.
The project is located along the coast in Makaweli, on a site between Pakala Beach to the south and agricultural fields to the north.
The Robinson family’s estate at Kapalawai is located on the property. Its most notable feature is a circa 1900 home once occupied by the Robinson family.
Kapalawai Resort LLC is seeking final approval for a special management area permit, a project development use permit and a class IV zoning permit for a 250-unit resort with associated resort uses and amenities. These would include restaurants, a pavilion, lu’au grounds, a museum, bar, swimming pools, spa, sport courts and a club house.
In December, the Kaua’i County Council unanimously approved a zoning ordinance that will allow building the 250-unit Kapalawai Resort in Makaweli. The hearing next week is the final step in the county zoning approval process.
The zoning process for the resort has taken two years and included approval from the State Land Use Commission for a change from agricultural to urban zoning for the land at Makaweli.
As part of the zoning amendment agreement, the company is designating 20 units of affordable housing on the property for employees of the resort, guaranteeing 24-hour public access to the shoreline at Kapalawai and 2.5 acres for public picnicking on the grounds.
The company has promised at least 225 jobs at the resort, with a priority in hiring going to job applicants from the Westside. A primary aim of the company is to hire Westsiders to manage and run the proposed resort.
Kaua’i archaeologist Pila Kikuchi will lead an effort to restore a traditional Hawaiian fishpond on the grounds of the resort. Kikuchi has said the fishpond is the only significant archaeological site on the Kapalawai property.
The parcel contains 166 acres of land.
