Kohanaiki deal revealed
By BOBBY COMMAND/ West Hawaii Today
The county's top administrator called the agreement a template. An attorney called it precedent setting. The developer called it a good - faith agreement. And the Native Hawaiian man who was the spark, called it the "spirit of aloha."
Public and private officials gathered Wednesday to announce an agreement between the developer of Kohanaiki and a community that fought for more than a decade to preserve from development an area long used by residents for recreation.
Rutter Development Corp. of Irvine, Calif. revealed its agreement to allow the development of a maximum of 500 homes and a championship golf course on the Kohanaiki property about three miles north of Kailua - Kona.
In return for the right to develop "The Shores at Kohanaiki," Rutter Development and partner Kennedy - Wilson International will provide a 128 - acre coastal park, more than 120 parking spaces and 8,000 - square - foot beach facility that will include a snack bar, toilets and showers.
Rutter's plans are a far cry from the sprawling resort planned for the property in the 1980s by Kona Beach Development Venture and then Japanese developer Nansay Hawaii. When it was originally conceived, blueprints called for two hotels totaling 700 rooms, 1,150 homes, 150 - slip marina and golf course to be built on the 540 - acre property.
Instead, Rutter's plans call for an average 680 feet of open space (including one leg of the golf course) between private property lines and the shoreline. The closest home would be about 400 feet from the shoreline.
In the space originally targeted by developers as a resort destination would be camping grounds, preserved anchialine ponds and historic sites and a coastal trail.
"We have a possible agreement," Mayor Harry Kim said, adding the deal can be used as a model whenever coastal development is proposed for shoreline areas in the rest of the state. "If this goes through, this will be historic."
Jim Sogi, an attorney and Kona native who helped forge the agreement with Rutter on behalf of a group known as Na Keiki Hee Nalu, or Children of the Surf, said the public will be pleased with the results.
"This is an innovative, precedent - setting plan which should be used in all of Hawaii."
Ray Rutter, chief executive officer of Rutter Development, said his company is bound by the agreement to provide the shoreline park and for the community to pay for a third of its upkeep.
"Everyone is going to walk out of here not quite satisfied, and I think that means everybody wins."
Angel Pilago, the central figure in a 1990 lawsuit over the denial of his gathering rights on the Kohanaiki property, said the agreement is a step toward improving the lives of those who live in and visit Kona.
"We're on a good course," said Pilago. "This has been fostered in the spirit of aloha."
Pilago said the park is not a panacea, but a path toward a more healthy community. "It is a course we must take to make things better."
County Councilman Curtis Tyler, who was acting as much a citizen as the area representative, was cautiously optimistic about the deal. "I've been blunt with (Rutter)," said Tyler, who was celebrating his 58th birthday. "To say all my concerns are allayed, I would not be telling the truth."
However, Tyler said a successful deal would be the crowning achievement of his four terms as a councilman, and something that could be enjoyed by future generations. "I did this because the children deserve no less."
While the deal does bind Rutter Development to paying for the development of the shoreline park and amenities, it does not require them to build it at all if the company decides not to develop the property.
But Ray Rutter said his company was started in the 1930s by his father and has built a reputation of reliability and quality. "We're 70 years in this business," said Rutter. "When we walk away, this community will be proud of what we did."
There is no definite timetable for development, but Chris Yuen, Hawaii County planning director, said an application by Rutter for a Shoreline Management Area permit will be discussed in October by the county Planning Commission.
Rutter said it would take about 18 months to complete engineering and permitting. If all goes according to schedule, development of the community and park could begin shortly after that.
bcommand@westhawaiitoday.com
