KAPA‘A — Jennifer Luck, Kaua‘i Island Director for the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, will discuss what the future may have in store for the decaying Coco Palms Resort during the Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association’s upcoming meeting. The discussion titled, Coco Palms:
KAPA‘A — Jennifer Luck, Kaua‘i Island Director for the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, will discuss what the future may have in store for the decaying Coco Palms Resort during the Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association’s upcoming meeting.
The discussion titled, Coco Palms: What’s Next?, begins at 2 p.m. March 23 at the Kapa‘a Library and is free and open to the public.
Many believe that the Coco Palms property needs to be protected for public benefit, wrote W-KNA Chair Rayne Regush in a March 5 news release.
“How do we pave the way for a Coco Palms future that is culturally based, historically respectful, publicly accessible and financially sustainable for generations to come?”
In an effort to determine desired use and create a plan to attract funding to purchase this property, HILT has submitted a grant-in-aid request to the Hawai‘i State Legislature.
Approximately $276,000 is being sought to perform a detailed site assessment, conduct a public input process with the Kaua‘i community and create a detailed acquisition, fundraising, restoration and management plan for the site, according to the release.
“Collaboration and broad support will be needed to effectively address the complexities of this substantial multi-year undertaking.” says Luck. “As a first step, residents can offer assistance by contacting Kaua‘i’s state representatives and asking them to support the grant-in-aid request.”
In April 2009 an online community survey by the Friends of Coco Palms showed that 91 percent of responders wanted to see the property purchased for public benefit. In addition, 81 percent indicated that condos and hotel rooms were not a desirable use of the site.
The following month the Planning Commission approved a three-year permit extension for Coco Palms Ventures, LLC, providing the owners time to seek investment partners and commence work. There has been no visible progress to date and Jan. 25 was the permit expiration date.
“After 20 years of neglect, the potential opportunity for residents to engage in a community-based planning process to identify appropriate uses for the property is very exciting,” says Regush.
Kaua‘i council member Gary Hooser is introducing a council resolution that supports the pending grant-in-aid request. The resolution is on the agenda for Wednesday’s council meeting.
The draft resolution states that “ideas for development and use of the property are diverse and have yet to be fully explored but include the development of a Hawaiian music and entertainment venue, a central community gathering place, museums, educational facilities, cultural facilities — including halau and canoe hale, park land, kupuna facilities and dining and accommodations — and much more, which is only limited by the imagination and dreams of the entire Kaua‘i community.”
Meeting participants are encouraged to bring their suggestions. The business portion of the W-KNA meeting Mar. 23 will include updates on other local issues.
For more information contact Sid Jackson at 821-2837 or visit www.wkna.org.
