LIHU‘E — After turning down a permit for the structure less than two months ago, members of the Kaua‘i Planning Commission yesterday paved the way for developers to build a pedestrian walkway over Kuhio Highway in Wailua. The walkway, which
LIHU‘E — After turning down a permit for the structure less than two months ago, members of the Kaua‘i Planning Commission yesterday paved the way for developers to build a pedestrian walkway over Kuhio Highway in Wailua.
The walkway, which is expected to connect the new Coco Palms development with the Seashell Restaurant and the beach at Wailua Bay, is proposed to be at least 150 feet long and 30 feet high at its tallest, with 16-feet clearance at its lowest point.
It also takes into account plans for future widening of Kuhio Highway to four lanes, and would comply with provisions in the federal Americans With Disabilities Act by the inclusion of an elevator, developers said.
The decision followed hours of testimony, which sometimes became feisty, and a decision that commission members could even vote on the amendment to conditions of the Special Management Area use permit.
In the end, commission members voted 5-0 (although two members remained silent) to approve the walkway, saying it was the safest way to get peo-ple from one side of the busy highway to the other.
“We have no choice to put in the bridge,” said Commissioner Lawrence Chaffin Jr. “It’s the humanitarian thing to do.”
But Commissioners Sandy Kato-Klutke and Randy Nishimura, whose silent votes were counted as “yes” votes, cited concerns that, first, the measure had been voted down, and had yet to be reopened to public testimony.
But, with the help of Deputy County Attorney Laurel Loo, it was decided that the amendment to the conditions was acceptable.
Kato-Klutke and Nishimura also said they were disappointed the developers did not search every possible option before returning with what was, in essence, the same proposal commission members had refused to grant permits for in January.
“That was the main subject of our conversation,” of the January meeting, said Kato-Klutke. “We wanted to see if there was any other way.”
But Coco Palms LLC representatives cited state Department of Transportation support, which was not complete at the January meeting, and the support of the community, for the proposal.
“I’ve heard enough,” said Commissioner Theodore Daligdig III. “To open up (the amendment) to public hearing and to hear the same things is a waste of time.” But Cheryl Lovell-Obatake, former head of the Island Burial Council, Islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, worried that the council and the state Historical Preservation Commission had not even been notified of the amendment.
With a proposed elevator and supports, excavation must occur, she said, and there is no process for reinternment if bones are found.
“This is a very substantial, historical and cultural portion” of the island, Lovell-Obatake said.
The hotel, once regarded as the flagship hotel of Hawai‘i in the 1950s and 1960s, has been closed since Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992, due to severe damage, insurance-company squabbles, and negotiations leading to the eventual sale and redevelopment plans.
Planning Commission members on Jan. 25 granted permits to allow for the demolition of many buildings at the 33-acre property by Wailua Bay, and the building of a new Coco Palms Resort.
The permits allow for the development of 104 hotel rooms, including single-story cottages located makai of lagoons or an ancient Hawaiian fishpond, and 200 condominium units.
Plans also call for the development of retail shops, a spa, a museum, restaurants, office space, and 689 parking stalls, of which 10 would be set aside for public use.
Included conditions in the permit granted Tuesday include:
- Working with DOT Highways Division leaders to establish a landscape fence barrier along Kuhio Highway to inform pedestrians to cross the highway only at the pedestrian bridge and crosswalks;
- Allowing the review of the design by DOT-Highways officials;
- Placing utility lines underground fronting the project site;
- Providing the design and color scheme review for the walkway for review prior to building-permit application;
- Relocating the 10 public parking stalls to an area adjacent to the elevator/stairway structure;
- Allowing access to the walkway and elevator 24 hours a day;
- Building the bridge and accessory structure to a maximum of 30 feet;
- Including only signage as required by law.
- Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
