A proposed hotel and vacation rental project on Kauai’s North Shore would ruin iconic views from Hanalei Bay, a group of opponents argues.
The land, owned by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, is adjacent to and north of the Hanalei River on the northeast side of the bay.
Development on the ridge would fundamentally change the visual, environmental and cultural qualities that make Hanalei Bay unique, says coalition member Carl Imparato.
The Hanalei-to-Haena Community Association will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. today in Hanalei Elementary School’s cafeteria to discuss the proposed Hanalei Plantation Resort project. Officials from Omidyar’s developers, Ohana Real Estate Investors, are expected to attend.
The proposed project will cover 63.6 acres and have 34 single-family vacation houses and 86 single-story bungalow hotel units. The structures will meet environmental standards, with guidelines to ensure that the styles, materials and colors blend the homes into the hillside, according to the development’s website.
The website promises that "strict guidelines will preserve view planes through various restrictions," including regulations on the height of structures and building materials.
The site will include a spa and wellness center, meeting rooms, dining and beach facilities and a revitalized fishpond with a rebuilt wall.
The project site is where the Hanalei Plantation Hotel stood in the 1960s. It was torn down and replaced by a Club Med in the mid-1970s.
The club was demolished by the early 1980s for a proposed condominium project that fell through when the developer filed for bankruptcy.
The coalition is requesting that 25 of the 34 proposed houses, which they describe as luxury vacation rental mansions, be relocated so they don’t obstruct the view plane.
"We’re asking that the project be reconfigured (in a way) that is environmentally sensitive of what’s iconic about Hanalei," said Imparato.
"The natural beauty is the most important thing," said coalition member Hayley Ham Young-Giorgio, whose great-grandfather Henry Kalani Taihook used a wok to cook for social gatherings at a nearby beach, giving it its name, Black Pot Beach.
Imparato insists the developers are downplaying the visual effects and that the project would transform the natural beauty and panorama of the bay.
Nearly 5,000 people signed a petition to preserve Hanalei Ridge.
The coalition also requests that the developers and Omidyar put a portion of the land in conservation easement. Omidyar could not be reached for comment.
Michelle Swartman, director of land and community development of Ohana Real Estate Investors, said they are not downplaying the visual impacts. Over the past 10 months, developers have been working with a community steering committee to identify concerns and address them with design guidelines, she said.
"We would like to continue to work with the community on identifying various types of design guidelines," she added.
"I understand the desire of the Hanalei Bay Coalition to protect Hanalei and save Hanalei," said Swartman. "We feel the same as well."
She said that the developers recognize that the Hanalei Plantation Hotel site still carries a lot of nostalgia in the community.
"It was a very integral part of the community," she said. "We want to be a neighbor. We want to be a part of (Hanalei). We don’t want to change it."
Coalition members also said development on the ridge would pose harm to the threatened Newell’s shearwaters. About 90 percent of the seabirds breed on Kauai.
For more information on the project, go to www.hanaleiplantation.com or savehanaleiriverridge.com.
