Caldwell signs bills creating Waikiki beach improvement district
Sam Lemmo, administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, spoke about the erosion at the groin near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Monday at a news conference in Waikiki.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed two bills Monday that clear the path for starting a new Waikiki improvement district to help pay for beach replenishment and related projects.
Property and business owners in Waikiki will be required to pay into the district under Bills 81 (2014) and 82 (2014). The plan was backed by the Waikiki Improvement Association and the Hawai’i Lodging & Tourism Association.
Advocates for Kapiolani Park, the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium and Kaimana Beach all initially opposed the bill because they worried about the potential impact on those facilities.
As a result, the City Council stopped the border of the district from going further east than Kapahulu Avenue.
Ocean experts maintain that the situation is dire and say that beach areas are eroding at a rate of about one foot each year.
Initial plans call for the owners of commercial properties to pay $7.63 per $1,000 of assessed value of their land. The goal is to collect $600,000 annually.
