Plans for a residential and commercial development on the south side of Hawaiʻi Island have been delayed.
The Windward Planning Commission has paused the 434-acre project in Punaluʻu.
Two advocacy groups are preparing for a contested case hearing over the controversial development. Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation attorney Ashley Obrey, co-counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the proposed development would adversely impact the center’s members.
“One member that was highlighted in the petition, Elsa Dedman and her ʻohana, they engage in the practice of gathering limu, fishing, there’s the practice of mālama ʻāina,” Obrey said. “Members engage in the practice of mālama iwi kūpuna, which is obviously impacted by this project.”
Black Sand Beach LLC is proposing 225 residential and short-stay units, as well as a village, wellness center, retail stores and rehabilitation of the golf courses in the area. The company is seeking a special management area permit for the project from the Windward Planning Commission.
Kimo Frankel, an attorney for a group of Kaʻū residents known as ‘Iewe Hānau O Ka ʻĀina, said his members are concerned with the wastewater infrastructure in the area.
“One of the things we have talked about is the sewage treatment plant does not have the capacity to accommodate this influx of people,” Frankel said. “If it does not have adequate capacity, that will adversely affect the water quality, which members enjoy. If water quality suffers, they suffer.”
The commission voted Monday to allow both groups to proceed to a contested case hearing on the proposed project but denied a third group, an association of condo owners who live nearby.
The next step is for all parties to enter mediation. If no agreement is reached, the Hawaiʻi County Planning Department will select a hearings officer and all parties will proceed to a contested case hearing.
