LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council was poised to take action last night on a rezoning bill that reduces the density of Kukui‘Ula Development Co. Hawaii’s plan to develop a 1,002-acre residential, resort and commercial project at Kukui‘ula. The project
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council was poised to take action last night on a rezoning bill that reduces the density of Kukui‘Ula Development Co. Hawaii’s plan to develop a 1,002-acre residential, resort and commercial project at Kukui‘ula.
The project would go from 3,400 to 1,500 units, if approved.
The bill also calls on the developer to construct roads in and around the project to alleviate traffic congestion, provide affordable housing for resort workers and other residents, and build and maintain a 20-acre public park.
Kukui‘ula is an area near Po‘ipu Beach and Koloa town, located mauka of Lawai Beach Road.
The council heard testimony before their vote at the Council Chambers in the historic County Building by residents who asked the legislators to kill the bill.
Peggy Field, who is running for a council seat in this year’s elections, urged the imposition of a moratorium on “developers that bring people from the outside.” The project is expected to primarily draw wealthy Mainland buyers.
Most local residents are unable to come up with a down payment for a home, or to cover a mortgage, Field said. “The prices (reportedly up to $975,000 and more for a lot) are out of our hands,” she said. “People can’t buy homes. They can barely afford rent.”
Andy Parx said, “This (approval of the project) is a horrible thing to do to the island.”
The density isn’t the problem, as the proposal calls for only 1,500 residential units, down from 3,400 units allowed under the existing zoning for the project, he said.
But market demand could drive up individual lots to $1 million or to $1.5 million, Parx said. The winner would be the developer and Mainland buyers, and the losers would be local folks who don’t have the same buying power, he claimed.
Council members also were asked to approve a Visitor Destination Area designation for the entire project, up from the 160 acres that have that designation under the existing zoning.
The VDA designation allows timeshare development in all
areas of the resort. Representatives of the developer, however, said they plan to put timeshare units only in certain “core areas” of the project.
The bill calls for Kukui‘Ula to comply with key conditions, including building roads and making improvements to significantly ease traffic congestion in South Kaua‘i; building affordable housing for residents and resort employees; and establishing public beach access and a 20-acre park the developer is to maintain.
While saying they supported the concept of the project, some critics have insisted the developer make road improvements in and around the project before the rezoning approval is granted.
Leaders for the developers and their supporters, including Margy Parker, executive director of the Poipu Beach Resort Association, the largest business group organized in South Kaua‘i, said solving the traffic problems of the region is not the developer’s responsibility.
The developer proposed these road improvements for the project:
- Installing a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Po‘ipu Road and Lawa‘i Road to facilitate traffic flow;
- Constructing a “western bypass” road that would run mauka from the roundabout and connect with Koloa Road. The intent is to take additional traffic from the resort off Po‘ipu Road, which leads to Koloa town;
- Constructing the “northern leg” of the western bypass road from Koloa Road to Maluhia Road. Leaders for the developer said they will secure the right-of-way for construction of the road by officials from Kaua‘i County;
- Constructing an “interior road” to handle traffic flow within the resort;
- Developing a small connector road from the interior road to Lawa‘i Road, resulting in what county officials contend will help take traffic off Lawa‘i Road and help with traffic circulation in South Kaua‘i.
Lawai Road Action Committee members have said they support the project, but wanted road improvements to help bring about safer driving conditions on roads by the resort.
Members of the Lawai Road Action Committee had asked that a dirt road that now could become a small connector road between an interior resort road and Lawa‘i Road be used only for emergencies.
But Parker and others have said having the emergency road become a full-fledged road will benefit all residents of South Kaua‘i.
Leaders with Kukui‘Ula Development said they understand the plight of local home buyers. But at the same time, they said they have to sell lots at “market prices” to make the project profitable.
The existing zoning allows for 3,400 residential units, which Alexander & Baldwin had proposed to sell at low prices to local buyers more than a decade ago. At the time A&B was pursuing the project on its own.
As part of the proposed rezoning for the 1,002-acre project, Kukui‘Ula Development leaders are proposing to develop a maximum of 1,500 units, including a 64-room hotel, an 18-hole golf course, recreational facilities, 26 acres for commercial uses, parks and open spaces.
Prior to action by the council Thursday, the rezoning bill proposed:
- The western bypass road and improvements be completed within 30 months after the commencement of work in the first phase;
- Construction of improvements at the intersection of Koloa Road and the western bypass that could include installation of signal lights, if required officials in the Kaua‘i County Department of Public Works;
- The developer is to work with county officials in acquiring the right-of-way for the northern leg of the western by-pass road;
- The developer shall participate and contribute to a “park-and-ride” program should one be needed;
- The developer shall spend no less than $600,000 for improvements of the roadway system serving the Koloa and Po‘ipu area;
- The developer shall develop a minimum of 75 housing units between Po‘ipu and Port Allen. The homes would be geared for first-time Kaua‘i buyers, including those with income restrictions, who are employees at the resort project and those employed by Kaua‘i County.
The council wanted the homes to remain “permanently affordable,” and required the developer to “cause” a 90-year restrictive covenant so that if a homeowner wants to sell the unit or transfer title, the resale of the unit would be made first to the developer. The developer can then agree to buy back the unit and can sell it at a price that doesn’t exceed the original sale price, including the cost of improvements to the house and other costs. If the developer doesn’t want to buy it back, the county can buy it.
Plans call for possibly using five acres intended for a school for a limited-equity, cooperative-housing project. This project would provide, in a sense, permanent affordable housing for Kaua‘i residents, Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura has said. She advocated the concept to other council members as a way to create more affordable housing on Kaua‘i. The project also would allow those in the cooperative to save their money so they can one day buy homes on the open market. The resort-related affordable homes to be built would be a mix of detached and attached single-family and multi-family units. The final mix would be determined by leaders in the Kaua‘i County Housing Agency. The units would be separate from the 1,500 resort-related units Kukui‘Ula leaders are proposing to build.
Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
