Turtle Bay lands shielded, by law

Roughly 664 acres of undeveloped shoreline land on the North Shore owned by Turtle Bay Resort would be set aside as open space for public use under a preservation agreement signed into law Friday by Gov. David Ige.

The new agreement, Senate Bill 284, is mostly similar to one reached last year but reduces the cost of protecting the land to $45 million from $48.5 million.

"Senate Bill 284 hopefully is the completion of a long journey for us to really preserve pristine land from Kawela Bay to Kahuku Point — preserve it from development forever," Ige said at a news conference in his office. "It has been a project that has taken several years to get to this place, but I really do believe that Senate Bill 284 is, hopefully, the final act to preserve the 664 acres forever."

The state also would acquire ownership of a portion of the land instead of owning only a conservation easement that bars development in perpetuity.

Stretching for about 4 miles, the land represents about 4 percent of Oahu’s coastline.

Under the agreement, about 663.4 acres would be conserved, of which 560.3 acres will be pre­served by a conservation easement and 52.8 acres acquired in fee-simple ownership by the state, Ige’s office said. The remaining 50.3 acres would be owned by the city as parks or other public preserved lands.

"I think this helps us resolve a long-standing controversy on the North Shore," state Sen. Gil Riviere (D, Heeia-Laie-Waia­lua) said after the signing ceremony. "I think back in 1986, looking back, it was a mistake to approve 3,500 hotel rooms on the North Shore.

"So it’s been a torturous and long saga to get to where we are today, and I think this is a good resolution to help finally solve a decision that shouldn’t have been made 30 years ago."

Turtle Bay would be responsible for maintenance, security, insurance and liability covering the entire property, the Governor’s Office said.

"We’ve made a promise to be responsible stewards of Turtle Bay Resort’s property and future, and are very happy to see an agreement preserving all this open space be finalized, knowing how important this is to the North Shore," Drew Stotes­bury, chief executive officer of the resort, said in a statement.

Also Friday, Ige signed House Bill 1184, which provides a temporary income tax credit for the cost of upgrading or converting a cesspool to a septic system or an aerobic treatment unit system, or connecting to a sewer system.

"We don’t have enough funds to cover all of the cesspools in the state, but it’s a start," Dr. Virginia Pressler, state health director, said. "It allows us to help those who wish to participate in this so we can address those that are the greatest threat to our water."