The owners of the Kealia Kai agricultural subdivision are taking steps to promote the sale of lots at the exclusive residential development north of Kapa’a town. Kealia Makai Holding LLC is asking the Kaua’i Planning Commission for a use permit,
The owners of the Kealia Kai agricultural subdivision are taking steps to promote the sale of lots at the exclusive residential development north of Kapa’a town.
Kealia Makai Holding LLC is asking the Kaua’i Planning Commission for a use permit, special permit and a Class IV Zoning permit to convert a temporary project office into a temporary project office/project real estate office at entrance of the subdivision.
But because the owners failed to give proper notice, the planing commission, meeting at the Lihu’e Civic Center Tuesday, rescheduled the public hearing on the issue until Tuesday, April 22.
Because of the necessity to reschedule the hearing, no Kealia Makai representatives attended the meeting.
The temporary project office is located on one of 29 lots in the subdivision. The lot has been used as a staging area for development and construction related to the subdivision.
The structure would be used for the management of the project, future development of farm dwellings and the sale of lots, according to the Kaua’i County Planing Department. The converted facility would sit on an half acre.
The Kealia Makai Owner’s Association will maintain ownership of one of the 29 lots. The commonly-owned lot would be developed with a beach house, which would be used by all owners of the lots within the agricultural subdivision, according to a Kaua’i County Planning Department document.
Five of the remaining 28 lots have been sold so far, according to county records.
The owners of the subdivision are proposing that the temporary project office be used until there are only four lots remaining, or for five years, whichever comes first, a spokesperson for the Planning Department said.
Following the sale of the 19 of 23 lots or sale of the lots within five years, the office will be removed from the area or converted for use in a county agricultural district, the owners said.
Hawaiian activist Cheryl Lovell-Obtake and Kaua’i resident Richard Stauber opposed the project.
Stauber said the county’s approval of the subdivision didn’t include a commercial building.
He also questioned whether the building is located far enough from Kuhio Highway. The commission asked the county planning department to check into both matters.
Lovell-Obatake said she wanted county officials to clarify the subdivision conditions for the Kealia Kai project, and wondered whether the Kaua’i County Council had to give its blessings to the requested permits as well.
“There were many months of public hearings at the planning commission and the county council regarding Kealia Kai’s subdivision,” Lovell-Obatake said. “Therefore, will this application be reviewed by the county council for final approval?
County planning director Ian Costa said he didn’t think so, and that permit requests would only go back to the council for review if the owners sought a variance of the original project conditions approved by the council.
