Ka‘iulani of Princeville, a new luxury resort development, is the subject of pro and con testimony received by the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission. The new residential resort project is proposed for the western plateau of the second phase of the
Ka‘iulani of Princeville, a new luxury resort development, is the subject of pro and con testimony received by the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission.
The new residential resort project is proposed for the western plateau of the second phase of the Princeville resort, in an area bordering the Prince golf course.
The commission conducted a public hearing on the proposal at the Lihu‘e Civic Center Tuesday. It received some written communication complaining QEB III, LLC.’s proposed project of 77 duplexes and triplexes was unsuitable for a plateau and would remove open space.
Another comment criticized the developer for cutting down trees on the property.
Kaua‘i attorney Lorna Nishimitsu, representing the developer, told The Garden Island that the project was not massive and sought to preserve open space.
Nishimitsu said that the developer had the right to cut down the trees because the trees were on its land and because “we are not in the SMA (Special Management Area) use area.”
An SMA permit is required for work in coastal areas and in environmentally-sensitive plots of land.
The developer has mailing address in Princeville and owns the 18-acre project site.
The company is seeking a Project Development Use Permit and a Class IV Zoning Permit for the project.
During the hearing, commission members heard no public opposition but received some communication expressing concerns from one or two residents.
One resident suggested the proposed buildings were too large for the plateau.
Nishimitsu said the area around the plateau is already used for residential purposes, and that while the duplexes and triplexes are probably larger than some apartments located around the bluff, they are still smaller than many of the multi-million-dollar, single-family homes located on land located next to the bluff.
One representative for the developer said the 18-acre site, though vacant, has been zoned for residential development for years, and that buildings will be constructed farther apart to provide for a quality project and to help preserve view planes.
The project is proposed to be developed at a site located along Queen Emmalani Drive, a street that turns off of Ka Haku Road, the main thoroughfare through the Princeville resort.
With the current zoning for the 18-acre project, the developer can build up to 98 multi-family units on 10 acres and another 30 units, including either single-family or multi-family ones, on another 7.5 acres, according to Kaua‘i County Planning Department documents.
But the developer is seeking the permits to construct a total of 35 buildings, through a mix of duplexes and triplexes, on the property, along with other improvements.
The proposed townhouse units for the entire project would be grouped into 28 duplex buildings and seven triplex buildings, Nishimitsu said in documents filed with the Kaua‘i County Planning Department. Gross footage for the eight types of units would range from 2,500 to a little more than 5,000 square feet, including two-car garages, walkways, lanais and other improvements.
All the buildings would be two-stories and would not exceed the 25-foot height limit prescribed or recommended for the area.
Approval of the plan would allow the developer to construct buildings farther apart from each other, “appropriately place amenities such as the community building, water features, parking and interior driveway system,” Nishimitsu said in documents.
If the plans ware approved, all the improvements, including the construction of the buildings, would total no more than 750,000 square feet.
The proposal calls for development of only 43 percent of the property, down from 50 percent recommended by the county leaders for development in a residential area.
Approval of the permits would mean a reduction of the project by 50 units, and would contribute to the open space feel of the area, Nishimitsu said.
The developer has plans to sell the individual units and has no plans to use them as rental or time share units.
Also planned are a swimming pool, pavilion, pathways, driveways, 166 parking stalls or 188 on-site parking stalls and other improvements. The planning commission will continue with the hearing on the proposal on Monday, Feb. 28 at the Lihu‘e Civic Center.
Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net.
