HONOLULU — Over $11 million allocated for sand replenishment and other improvements to the Waikiki Beach area lapsed June 30, but the Legislature plans to reappropriate the funds in 2025.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) had authorization to spend $11.5 million on the project, which included approximately $5 million in capital improvement program funds, with the remainder coming from private and trust funds.
DLNR allowed the funds appropriated by the Legislature for the Waikiki Master Plan Improvements project to lapse because the environmental impact statement had not been finalized and potential design changes to the original proposal are being considered, according to Michael Cain, administrator of DLNR’s Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands.
“The EIS has not yet been approved, so it was premature to keep the funding, so it was allowed to lapse,” state Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D, Kakaako-McCully-Waikiki) said. “The idea is that once we get a firmer idea of what we’re going to fund, DLNR will come back and reappropriate the funds that we need to make that improvement.”
The Waikiki Master Plan
Improvements project is a
public-private partnership involving Moriwaki, the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association (WBSIDA), DLNR and, more recently, the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT).
DBEDT Director Jimmy Tokioka said DLNR first reached out to his department July 5 to collaborate on the project. By July 15 they had agreed that DLNR would transfer some responsibilities, including the application process, to DBEDT.
DBEDT’s Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is preparing an EIS for the Waikiki Beach Improvement and Maintenance Program, which will assess the environmental impacts of a series of phased projects, potentially covering multiple sites or geographic areas over a long period.
The programmatic EIS has not yet been published or accepted, but once approved, DBEDT will select a project, assess whether additional impacts need to be disclosed, complete engineering designs and submit a conservation district use permit application to the Board of Land and Natural Resources for public hearing.
If the permits are approved, DBEDT will work with stakeholders on cost estimates and develop a budget for the initial project. There is currently no estimated time frame for permits or project completion due to the program’s scope and duration.
While DBEDT will manage the permitting application process, DLNR will continue to oversee the project and issue permits.
“DLNR in the past would apply for the permit, and they would oversee the permit, so we — Gov. Josh Green’s team, myself and DLNR Chair Dawn Chang — felt like it would be more appropriate for DLNR to apply for the permit through the Office of State Planning at DBEDT,” Tokioka said.
Both Moriwaki and Rick Egged, president of the WBSIDA, stated that the new agreement involving DBEDT represents a positive step toward finalizing the EIS and advancing various projects funded by the Legislature.
Moriwaki said the collaboration with DBEDT is logical since its Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is already working on the Waikiki Resilience and Sea Level Rise Adaptation Project.
“It’s been taking a long time,” Moriwaki said. “Now it seems we will have some movement, so it is important to act now rather than kicking the can down the road.”
According to DBEDT spokesperson Mary Alice Evans, the last sand re-nourishment for Waikiki Beach occurred in 2021.
“Waikiki is our biggest asset on O‘ahu and in the state, so we’re committed to submitting the best application for an environmentally friendly beach restoration process to continue replenishing Waikiki’s sand,” Tokioka said.
In addition to the $11.5 million, the Legislature in 2023 appropriated two sums — $4 million and $650,000 — that have not lapsed and have been released by Green’s administration.
The DLNR plans to use the $4 million sum for smaller projects in Waikiki that are not dependent on the EIS, including small-scale beach restoration work at the two swimming basins between Kuhio Beach and the Kapahulu Groin. Sand from inside the basins will be placed back on shore, restoring both the swimming channel and widening the beach.
Cain also mentioned that DLNR intends to replace a sandbag stub groin on Kuhio Beach with a more stable and aesthetically pleasing small rock groin, and to repair broken portions of the toe of the swimming basin to allow for better access between Kuhio Beach and the basins.
Moriwaki said that while the $4 million is allocated for beach improvements along Waikiki Beach, the $650,000 is specifically for the Halekulani stretch, also known as Kawehewehe, where there is currently no beach.
This funding will support a pilot program to bring sand into the area.
“The idea is to add sand to the area to create and replenish the beach,” Moriwaki said.
She said that while there have been many initiatives over the years to improve Waikiki, and the area has been getting better, there is always room for further improvement.
“I want Waikiki to be that destination hub,” she said. “We have to replenish the area and fix it up as soon as possible.”
