LIHUE — Demolition of the long-shuttered Coco Palms Resort could begin in the next four to six weeks, a sign of the island’s slowly materializing efforts to revitalize the historic hotel. Chad Waters of the Honolulu-based redevelopment firm Coco Palms
LIHUE — Demolition of the long-shuttered Coco Palms Resort could begin in the next four to six weeks, a sign of the island’s slowly materializing efforts to revitalize the historic hotel.
Chad Waters of the Honolulu-based redevelopment firm Coco Palms Hui said the group has received the 25 demolition permits it needs to knock down and then rebuild the 350-room Wailua resort.
“We have a number of planning and prep issues that need to be handled before you see heavy equipment,” Waters said in an email.
A private ceremonial land blessing will take place at the hotel property today.
Conditions approved by the County of Kauai Planning Commission require Coco Palms developers to complete demolition work within six months once permits are issued. Construction permits, meanwhile, must be submitted within the next year.
The entire resort is expected to open as a Hyatt-branded property in the spring of 2017, Waters said. It is an estimated $135 million project.
Coco Palms never reopened after Hurricane Iniki tore it apart in 1992.
