WAILUA — As demolition work progresses on the Coco Palms Resort, a new poll shows robust support for the restoration of the once-renowned property that was destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
The SMS Research Poll found that 61 percent of the people surveyed said they support the restoration effort. A total of 24 preferred the property remain in its current condition, while 15 percent said they did not know.
The poll results provided a shot in the arm for Reef Capital Partners, which took ownership of the property in 2022 after the previous developer defaulted on its loan.
“We are grateful for the support,” said Reef Capital Partners Chief Financial Officer John Day in a statement.
“It affirms what we’ve been hearing from many in the community — a large majority of Kauai residents firmly support our efforts to responsibly restore the historic Coco Palms in a sustainable way that honors the legacy of the area.”
Demolition work on the property has been ongoing this year, with activity ramping up in late winter.
The restored resort, according to Reef Capital Partners, will be smaller than the original hotel with 350 rooms compared with more than 400 rooms previously.
The renovation will include the restoration of the historic Lotus, Flame, and Seashell restaurants, recreational amenities, a cultural center for the community, a lo‘i kalo or traditional Native Hawaiian taro farm and a spa.
The restored resort is intended to again become a gathering place for the Kaua‘i community.
Archaeological and cultural monitoring will be ongoing during construction and renovation.
Additionally, Coco Palms has convened a cultural advisory committee composed of respected members of the local Native Hawaiian community to help guide restoration of the site and ensure authenticity for guests.
The Coco Palms restoration is anticipated to generate more than 300 full-time jobs during the construction phase, and more than 400 permanent full-time jobs for local residents once resort operations start.
All approvals needed to complete the demolition, construction and restoration of the historic Coco Palms have been obtained.
Reef Capital has already invested tens of millions of dollars in the restoration, and more than $400 million in direct investments will be made as part of the restoration project.
Millions more are expected to be generated within the Kaua‘i community thanks to workforce spending, and once operational, the resort is expected to generate millions of dollars annually within the local economy, and provide substantial tax revenues for the County of Kaua‘i through real property and transient accommodation taxes.
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The poll was conducted by SMS Research through Peters Communications. More than 1,100 self-identified registered voters participated in the survey, which took place from Nov. 22, 2023, through Dec 15, 2023. The margin of error for the total sample was plus or minus 2.88 percent.
