Homeowner sues Kamehameha Schools

A Native Hawaiian woman and her husband filed a lawsuit Thursday against Kamehameha Schools over access to their home behind a North Shore retail complex developed by the trust.

The state Circuit Court complaint by Wilma and Ronald Ward alleges that Hawaii’s largest private landowner impeded access to the Ward home by developing Haleiwa Store Lots in 2015 on land that included part of what used to be a lane leading to the house.

The owner of the adjacent Haleiwa Town Center had allowed access to the Ward home in recent years over a separate lane it leases from Kamehameha Schools, but closed that lane after a disagreement with the trust.

Kamehameha Schools provided a new route to the home through the parking lot of its retail complex, but the Wards contend that shoppers and delivery vehicles frequently block the unpaved path representing their driveway.

Previously, the Wards sought relief from the city Department of Planning and Permitting. That effort was the subject of a Honolulu Star-Advertiser story in May.

Sunny Lee, an attorney representing the Wards, said the city rejected their complaints and efforts to appeal permitting and zoning decisions that allowed development of Haleiwa Store Lots.

Kamehameha Schools previously said that it did its best to provide a reasonable and safe access to the Ward property, and in a statement Thursday added: “We empathize with the Ward ohana and are disappointed that they have taken this action after our numerous efforts to work with them through this situation.”