LIHU‘E — One of Hawai‘i’s more cherished landmarks, Coco Palms Resort in Wailua, has gone from hero to villain in the last 20 years. Damages by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and numerous re-building permit extensions which were never acted upon
LIHU‘E — One of Hawai‘i’s more cherished landmarks, Coco Palms Resort in Wailua, has gone from hero to villain in the last 20 years. Damages by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and numerous re-building permit extensions which were never acted upon have contributed to transforming the site of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawai‘i” into one of Kaua‘i’s biggest eyesores.
“It’s kind of sad to see that nothing has been done there,” Moloa‘a resident Charles Pereira said at a Kaua‘i Planning Commission meeting Jan. 10. Pereira worked at the former Coco Palms Resort for 22 years.
The new resort was supposed to be ready by 2010, but an extension granted on April 28, 2009, allowed landowner Coco Palms Ventures to demolish the decaying buildings and have a new resort built by Jan. 25, 2013. With a year to act upon the latest extension, commissioners have little faith the landowner will finish the project on time.
“We know we are going to be faced with an extension request (in 2013),” Commissioner Hartwell Blake said.
The commission unanimously voted to defer the acceptance of a letter from Phillip Ross of Coco Palms Ventures to Planning Director Michael Dahilig transmitting the “progress and status of the project and compliance with all conditions of approval” for the permits. No specific date was set for the commission to consider the issue again.
County planner Michael Laureta said the department received numerous complaints about the “derelict nature” of Coco Palms and the blight it poses on the community’s surroundings.
“We understand the negative impact the site carries, especially at such a gateway point for the Wailua and Kapa‘a community,” he said. “However, it is the department’s evaluation that the developer does not sit in breach of any conditions at this time.”
The staff report did not sit well with commissioners and others who testified at the meeting.
Commissioner Jan Kimura was especially displeased that no representatives from Coco Palms Ventures were present, particularly after Dahilig said he got a call from the landowner’s attorney the day prior to the meeting to inform him someone would be there.
“It’s a little inconsiderate on their part,” Kimura said. “The way that Coco Palms has always been an issue for the island residents of Kaua‘i, and for them not to even show up to this meeting, it’s kind of disrespectful.”
Wailua resident Rich Hoeppner said the site is “a breeding ground for rats” and a disgrace to Kaua‘i. Nothing has been accomplished by holding on to the permits, and all of them should be revoked and the buildings razed so the site can be utilized for the island community, he said.
“The owners have failed to fulfill their obligations established by this commission,” he said. “It is a health hazard, a fire hazard and a visual blight on the Wailua area.
Coco Palms meets all criteria for unsafe buildings under county law, Lihu‘e resident Elaine Dunbar said.
“I don’t understand the staff report, (the department) can not find any breach of conditions.” she said. “The guy is playing the county.”
Former Kaua‘i County Council candidate and Kapa‘a resident Ken Taylor said it’s “mind-boggling” how and why the department can come up with a report stating the applicant has met all conditions.
“We can’t just keep rolling this thing over and over,” Taylor said. “It has been 20 years that this facility has sat there and has slowly deteriorated.”
Dahilig said his department is a zoning and permitting department, and that issues concerning building safety, health and fire hazards are addressed by other government agencies or departments.
“Our requirement here is relating to zoning and permitting and does not directly bear upon immediate health and safety,” he said. “That is not a jurisdiction issue.”
Calling the situation a “Catch 22,” Dahilig said if the permits are revoked upon expiration and no extension is granted, the landowner will not put more money into the project.
Dahilig said the department does not condone land banking. If the applicant decides to ask for a permit extension, only then will the department evaluate the situation, he said.
He also warned commissioners that because of the current state of the economy, other landowners might come before the commission to ask for permit extensions.
The Special Management Area permit application has a set of 31 conditions. At least one-third of the conditions has not been complied with yet. Laureta said the conditions which have not been met relate to building guides, sales and agency comments.
The permits allow the Coco Palms Resort reconstruction to include 200 multi-family dwellings and 48 hotel units. The permits also include the redevelopment of the Seashell Restaurant fronting Wailua Beach, a pedestrian bridge over Kuhio Highway and other traffic improvements in the area.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
