KAILUA-KONA >> Developers want to turn a 16,000-acre site on the Big Island into a resort area.

Oahu-based Nani Kahuku Aina plans to build more than 1,000 homes, an 18-hole golf course, two hotels, a cultural center, parks and a Veterans Administration facility near Pohue Bay on the island’s southwest coast, West Hawaii Today reported today. The development is to be on the site of the defunct Hawaiian Riviera Resort. 

In a draft environmental impact statement, the developers say they are seeking to have the land converted from conservation district to urban and rural district designations.

The site sits on the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa, making it vulnerable to volcanic flows. However, county officials note that more than half the island is vulnerable and that’s one of the risks of living on the Big Island.