Editorial for Wednesday — November 05, 2003

• South shore future

South shore future

Along with Alexander & Baldwin’s plans for the Kukui‘ula project outside Koloa town, another project has resurfaced that would add hundreds of more housing units to the South Shore.

Kiahuna Mauka Partners LLC. and Eric A. Knudsen Trust want to develop 458 acres in the Po’ipu area, though not lands that are along the coast. Both these projects have been on the books for years, and are now feasible to build due to the increase in value of Kaua‘i real estate and the strong demand for homes on Kaua‘i both by local residents and off-island buyers.

With the arrival of the 21st century on Kaua‘i we are moving into a future that always seemed a long ways off. The development of these projects is nothing new, yet we now need to begin planning in earnest for their impact on the South Shore in both terms of infrastructure and community planning.

Once completed the projects could bring the South Shore to a place where coastal sections of West Maui are today.

There is an opportunity now to do it right in reacting to the construction of these projects. The other option, is to ignore the impact of what is obviously ahead of us once hundreds, if not thousands, of new housing units are filled with people during the next five to 15 years.

It’s imperative that the infrastructure for schools, parks, parking, roads, and sewage be brought up to the needed level at the time of development. In addition, the communities of Koloa, Lawa‘i and Po‘ipu need to look at the impact on their beaches, and other recreational areas from this future influx of residents.

This area could become a better community through the growth, or become a shadow of its present self and leave local residents with regrets and a wish to go back to the “good old days.”

The choice is up to our government leaders and planners, and to the developers of these projects.