Council eyes coastal land acquisitions

LIHUE — Acquiring coastal lands and designating no parking zones are on tap for discussion when the Kauai County Council meets Wednesday.

On the agenda are two requests from the Open Space Commission for the county to take charge of land in Wainiha and Kekaha.

The 0.3708 acre property in Wainiha has an assessed value of $576,000, according to a report from the Planning Department.

It is located at 5-6910 Kuhio Highway, and is surrounded by residential properties.

The Open Space Commission unanimously approved acquisition of the land as a way to preserve forests, beaches and agricultural lands, according to the Planning Department.

The market value of the property is $779,000, and the owner is willing to sell.

If approved, the land will go under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation. But, the department doesn’t have the resources to make the property a county park, so it’s proposing a stewardship agreement with a nonprofit organization that could take responsibility for maintaining it.

There is a similar request for a coastal property in Kekaha. The Open Space Commission wants to acquire the land also for preservation reasons and to access an adjacent beach.

The 2.098-acre plot has an assessed value of $908,000, according to the Planning Department.

The lot is also known as a historical Chinese cemetery and has a market value of $650,000.

Also on Wednesday, the council is expected to discuss a request from the Public Works Department to establish no parking restrictions on Ho‘onani Road, which is located in Poipu.

That request, in the form of a Resolution No. 2017-35, is a result of a traffic investigation, which recommended posting “no parking” signs near where Ho‘onani and Kapili roads intersect, according to the bill.

The county meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. and takes place at the Historic County Building.