By NANCY COOK LAUER By NANCY COOK LAUER ADVERTISING Stephens Media Hawaii Hawaii County will get a new public shoreline access easement as part of a 1999 special management area permit, as a luxury development takes root on one of
By NANCY COOK LAUER
Stephens Media Hawaii
Hawaii County will get a new public shoreline access easement as part of a 1999 special management area permit, as a luxury development takes root on one of the few remaining large private holdings on Kohala’s Gold Coast.
The project, by Kohala Kai LLC, contains seven oceanfront lots ranging in size from five to 28 acres on a 63-acre tract north of Kawaihae Harbor and just south of Keawewai Gulch. The lots are expected to be sold for $4 million and up, said Charles A. Anderson, Kohala Kai representative and owner and principal broker of Hawaii Pacific Brokers LLC.
The public access easement runs from Akoni Pule Highway to the shoreline, with a parking area for three cars and a shoreline walking trail across the 4,000 feet of ocean frontage. The walking trail will be part of a continuous trail stretching from Pololu to Kawaihae.
North Kona Councilwoman Karen Eoff, who has spent many years working for public shoreline access, was happy to see the easement coming through.
“I’m really pleased to see meaningful public shoreline access being carried out as a condition of the approvals,” Eoff said.
The trail is a condition of the development permits, but Anderson said the developer went above and beyond the basic requirement.
“We went in and we made a really, really nice trail,” he said.
Anderson said Kohala Kai has been working on the
property since it was purchased in the early 2000s. Now that cul de sacs and infrastructure are in the works, Kohala Kai plans to begin marketing the lots in about three months, he said.
“I think these are probably the most unique and outstanding oceanfront parcels available here,” Anderson said. “It’s a beautiful, well-planned development, with all native plants in the landscaping. I think it’s something that’s unique to the islands right now.”
The development will include a private beach clubhouse as part of its amenities.
Acceptance of the easement is on the County Council’s Finance Committee agenda, scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Tuesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center. The public can also testify via videoconference from council chambers in Hilo, the Pahoa and Waimea council offices and the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates Community Center.
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.
