To accommodate a growing congregation, Kauai Bible Church in Lawa’i is proposing to buy 30 adjacent acres for a new church and other facilities. At a Kaua’i County Planning Commission hearing scheduled for today, the church will be seeking a
To accommodate a growing congregation, Kauai Bible Church in Lawa’i is proposing to buy 30 adjacent acres for a new church and other facilities.
At a Kaua’i County Planning Commission hearing scheduled for today, the church will be seeking a use permit, a special permit, a variance permit and a Class IV zoning permit for its project, to developed on land designated for agricultural use by Kaua’i County.
The new church and facilities march in step with plans by a new wave of churches that have settled on Kaua’i and are offering more services and programs to better serve the community.
“We are endeavoring to expand our borders,” said Darlene Walker, wife of Merv Walker, the pastor of the church. “With a new facility, we feel that we could be much more effective in serving the community.”
The project will fly only if the church can secure the permits, Walker said. The estimated purchase price of the land from Alexander & Baldwin ranges from $400,000 to $500,000, he said.
Plans call for the development of the project over 10 to 15 years and include a new church, some recreational facilities, a class and office facility, a few shelters for picnics and recreational facilities, a parsonage and a few housing units, Walker said.
The structures will be developed as money (through fundraisers) becomes available, Walker said.
Because the buildings and facilities will be developed only on about 7 of the 30 acres, the state Land Use Commission won’t be involved.
The commission isn’t required to review the project because the actual acreage for development is less than 15 acres. By not having another regulatory government agency involved, the work can move forward more quickly.
Ten of the 30 acres are situated within a drainage basin of Piwai Stream, an area that will not be physically impacted by any of the proposed development, the county Planning Department said.
This area is not likely to be used for any structures because they would be subject to flooding, Walker said. The remaining acres would be used as open space, Walker said.
The project is being proposed partly because of the growth of the membership in recent years, Darlene Walker said. “We have 200 church members and in order for us to grow, we need more space,” she said.
Should the new church be built, the existing church, which sits on four acres, could be turned into a youth facility, Walker said. An existing parsonage building would be used in the same way.
Also up for possible discussion by the commission:
– Access to Kauapea Beach, otherwise known as Secret Beach.
– A proposal by Keapana Horsemanship to develop a commercial horse riding enterprise on 156 acres of state lands in East Kaua’i.
The commission has withheld action on the proposal partly to await a master plan from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources on the use the property and another 6,644 acres mauka of the Kalepa Mountain Ridge in Hanama’ulu.
The state has leased all the land to the Kalepa Koalition, a group primarily comprised of farmers and ranchers.
Some critics said the owner of Keapana Horsemanship, in some cases, has made claims that cannot be delivered.
These include claims in a Keapana Horsemanship website that midnight horse rides and rides to Wailua Falls would be offered.
Butler has said that her company’s Web site is new and that she has discussed an array of services that could be offered.
She also said her business would not be offering rides to Wailua Falls, only that the falls could be seen from a pond on her state-leased property.
– A proposal by Chevron Products Company to make improvements to an existing fuel storage facility in Port Allen, to enhance safe handling of fuel. There was no opposition voiced at a recent public hearing.
