Turtle Bay Resort is open to negotiating with the state to protect land around the North Shore landmark from development.
In a letter to state Sen. Clayton Hee on Monday, Drew Stotesbury, Turtle Bay’s chief executive officer, said the developer is open to immediate discussions with the state about land acquisition provided that the talks conclude by the end of November.
The letter from Turtle Bay persuaded state senators Tuesday to send back to committee a bill that would have directed Gov. Neil Abercrombie to negotiate with resort developers on conservation. The move essentially killed Senate Bill 894 for this session, although it could be brought back next year.
Senators had deleted language in the bill that would have authorized the governor to exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire land if no agreement with Turtle Bay was reached within a reasonable time, but the issue of eminent domain was still worrisome to the developer.
Stotesbury said the bill could be amended next year to reflect a negotiated settlement if the developer and the state were able to agree on terms, area and price.
"We believe this alternative provides a reasonable time for the state and the developer to engage in good faith negotiations to reach a reasonable solution that benefits not only the immediate community, but the state as a whole," Stotesbury wrote in his letter.
Gov. Linda Lingle in 2008 called for the state to buy Turtle Bay. The resort’s owners have rejected two offers.
Replay Resorts, the Canadian firm chosen by Turtle Bay’s owners to develop the property, has scaled back hotel and condominium expansion plans, but North Shore conservationists want the state to step forward and protect some land, particularly near Kawela Bay.
Hee (D, Heeia-Laie-Waialua) said the bill "had a lot to do with crystallizing thoughts and effectuating dialogue to get commitments from Turtle Bay. And that’s a good thing."
Gil Riviere, a former state lawmaker active with Keep the North Shore Country, a conservation group, said he was encouraged by Turtle Bay’s commitment to negotiate. Keep the North Shore Country and other groups had gone to court to force the developer to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement on expansion plans.
"This willingness to expand dialogue is welcome and timely," Riviere said in a statement.
