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Hawaii News

B&B pitched for former home of artist

Two Hawaii island residents would like to turn late Hawaii artist Herb Kane’s Honau­nau home into a bed-and-breakfast.

David Cox and Michael Corbitt have leased the property since August 2011 from the Herbert K. Kane Family Trust.

Kane lived on the property from 1982 until his death in early 2011.

West Hawaii Today reported that the two South Kona residents have filed an application with the Planning Department that says they intend to continue running the 8.5-acre avocado farm as the primary operation. But, they say, a four-room bed-and-breakfast would provide income to help support the farm.

The home "has magnificent, unobstructed views from Kealakekua Bay to Puu­ho­nua o Ho­nau­nau and to points further south," the application says. Cox and Corbitt intend to run the business as a luxury bed-and-breakfast. Guests would be offered a "European-style" breakfast of fresh fruit, commercial cereal and pastries, with an emphasis on locally grown and produced foods.

Cox and Corbitt said that converting the home to a bed-and-breakfast would require no new construction. They said parking is available for eight vehicles.

Kamehameha Schools, which owns the land, is aware of their desire to open a bed-and-breakfast and has been amenable to the idea, Corbitt said. The two notified 16 neighbors, as required by county code. The only response has been positive, he said.

Corbitt and Cox had been looking for a farm with the potential to become a B&B when they began relocating from Washington, D.C., to Hawaii several years ago.

Cox and Corbitt are scheduled to meet with the Leeward Planning Commission on Thursday.

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