Land Board weighs Kaanapali Beach restoration project

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources is expected to decide today whether to approve an agreement forged between the Department of Land and Natural Resources and a private resort association requiring them to split the costs of a $10 million beach restoration project long planned for Maui’s Kaanapali Beach.

The stretch of powdery, white beach that looks out on sparkling blue waters on the west side of the island has suffered extensive damage in recent years, with erosion pinching the beach where hotels were built too close to the shoreline.

The project aims to nearly double the size of the beach, restoring it to its 1988 width by using a crane and clam-shell bucket to dredge 75,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore, enough sand to fill about 22 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The project, similar to one recently completed in Waikiki, has attracted opposition from local residents who are concerned that dredging large amounts of sand from the ocean floor will harm the marine environment, including coral reef and fishing grounds, disrupt cultural practices and potentially damage surf spots. Community members also have questioned why public funds should be expended on the project and say it will only encourage the beachfront hotels and condominiums to stay put when they need to begin looking at ways to retreat from the shoreline in light of sea-level rise and climate change.

“For (the resorts) it’s about creating a bigger beach for tourists, but at the expense of our rights for subsistence,” said Tiare Lawrence, who grew up on the west side and is an experienced surfer and paddler. “So I just don’t feel that tourism should supersede what is in the best interest of our public trust resources and the local people of West Maui.”

Lawrence said she would rather see dune restoration along the beach and for the resorts to possibly begin removing facilities such as pools, walkways and landscaping that is close to the shore to assist the beach’s natural ebb and flow.

Lawrence said public access along Kaanapali Beach has been terrible for years, and questioned why public funds should be expended on a project that largely benefits the resorts.

“Managed retreat is the only long-term solution for places like Kaanapali that are facing impacts from climate change and sea-level rise. That is the only viable solution at this point,” she said. “At this point we need bold leadership to do what is right to make sure that future generations will be able to enjoy the public beach.”

The project, which was proposed about a decade ago, has long attracted pushback, and local activists opposing it have said they are prepared to go to great lengths to stop it. “We will bring Mauna Kea to Kaanapali if needed,” Lawrence said.

The project still needs additional approvals, including a conservation district use permit from the Land Board, in order to move forward.

DLNR has been supporting the project along with the Kaanapali Operations Association, whose members include 11 hotels and condos, two shopping centers and two golf courses. The hotels include the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort &Spa, The Westin Maui Resort &Spa, Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel, Sheraton Maui Resort, Maui Marriott Resort &Ocean Club and Royal Lahaina Resort.

The project has the benefit of creating a wider beach for the public that is more resilient during seasonal erosion cycles and that supports the habitat for endangered monk seals, sea turtles, shorebirds and other beach organisms, according to the project’s environmental impact statement. It also supports the resorts that are a big economic driver for the island.

Wayne Hedani, president of the Kaanapali Operations Association, questioned how much opposition the project really has.

“I think it is a question of getting information to the public about what the project is to ensure them that there are no negative repercussions to the environment that the project is going to entail,” he said.

Hedani said re-nourishing the beach will prevent the degradation of the nearshore waters and protect the coral reef by preventing sediment from getting into the ocean. “There has been some misperception that the project will smother the reefs. The opposite is true,” he said.

The beach restoration project is expected to last only 20 years, though major storms could shorten this period. Hedani said the resort association would be willing to repeat the project at that time.

He said he doesn’t see managed retreat along Kaanapali Beach happening anytime soon.

“It is not something that can be accomplished easily,” said Hedani. “It is not easy to remove a hotel that has 800 rooms 150 yards inward, especially when the 150-yard movement inward may also be inundated in the future with sea-level rise. Managed retreat is a nice idea, but making it happen in practice is extremely difficult and an extremely time-consuming process.”

Hedani said that while funding the project was in the resort’s self-interest, its members weren’t interested in funding the entire project, noting that it is a public beach controlled by the state. He said resort taxes already go to support a state beach restoration fund.