LIHU‘E — Politicians and community business leaders mingled Thursday evening at the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce second quarter membership meeting.
Roughly 250 people attended the networking event at the Kaua‘i Beach Resort and many stayed to hear presentations by representatives from A&B Properties, Kaua‘i Commercial Company, Kaua‘i Coffee Company, Matson Navigation Company and Kukui‘ula Development Company.
“For those of you who want to become a developer, I want to share my pain with you,” said A&B Properties Executive Vice President Paul Hallin during the start of his speech.
Kukui‘ula, a South Shore community, for example, was a development which originated in the early ’80s, he said.
“It’s been like launching a space shuttle into the eye of a hurricane,” he said, adding that “we are committed to the project.”
The development community, which has the feel of a “small plantation town,” will eventually be home to some 5,000 residents, a “lovely” 18-hole golf course with locker rooms, a clubhouse, restaurant, bar and spa, said Kukui‘ula Development Company Hawai‘i President Brent Harrington.
While the golf course, clubhouse and spa are slated for completion by the end of the year, the 87,400-square-foot Kukui‘ula Village shopping center is already in operation with a handful of stores and eateries open for business, including Bungalow 9 and Merriman’s Kaua‘i.
The first 20 single-family homes will be under construction by the end of the year with “a great many more to come” offering a “collection of different neighborhoods and price prints,” Harrington said.
Some 1,500 residential units are approved for construction, although there “probably won’t be that many,” said Kukui‘ula Marketing Consultant Veronica Lovesy. Currently, some 90 owners have purchased lots, some of whom may own more than one.
This is a “very sophisticated, cutting-edge project” that “makes sense for Kaua‘i,” Harrington said.
In addition, it “will create significant employment” and an “economic ecosystem” which will benefit the local community, he said.
Other speakers at the event included Matson Navigation Company Kaua‘i District Manager Dewayne Kong, Kaua‘i Commercial Company General Manager George Matsuda, Kaua‘i Coffee Company President and General Manager Wayne Katayama and A&B Properties Kaua‘i Vice President Tom Shigemoto.
Each spoke about the roots of their local businesses and the type of services they continue to offer.
