78
LIHUE » The Kauai County Council has delayed a decision on whether to accept a grant of pedestrian easement for access to Waipake Beach from the developer of a residential subdivision on the north shore.
Falko Partners, which has county approval to develop 357 acres of oceanfront property, has proposed the easement for public entry to the beach.
The entryway would require walking 200 yards on a narrow path with a 12-foot cliff on one side and lava rocks and the ocean on the other, The Garden Island reported.
The council must decide whether to accept the offer or negotiate for a better route.
Residents who use the beach want the council to consider alternatives.
"When I comment I’m going to the beach … I don’t say I’m going to the rocks," said Moloaa resident Tim Kallai as the council considered the matter last week.
Waipake Beach is just west of Larsen’s Beach. The remote coastline hosts monk seals, nesting sea turtles and endangered seabirds.
Some residents said the proposed path could be dangerous during high surf in the winter months.
Residents of the 80-home development that has already been approved for Kahuaina Plantation subdivision would have direct access to Waipake Beach.
Dennis Lombardi, an attorney representing Falko Partners, urged the council to accept the easement and not hold the developer hostage. The two sides, he said, could work out an easier pathway.
Council members deferred their decision to Nov. 13 after a visit to the site. An existing foot path follows the top of the beach rocks to the sandy beach and council members want to know if the landowner will consider allowing access on the path.
The Land and Farm website lists the property for sale at $70 million.
