Strife Over Honokohau Boatyard Shift Lingers More Than 2 Years After Auction
Last month, Environment Hawai‘i reported on a $423,000 settlement the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved to resolve several damage claims brought by its lessee, Pacific Marine Partners, LLC. The company had won a 10-year lease at public auction in the … Continued
Waikoloa Mauka Project Now Subject of FBI Investigation, Developer Says
Danny Julkowski threw himself on the mercy of the Leeward Planning Commission of Hawai‘i County last month. And as sympathetic as the commissioners were to his plight, their mercy was more limited. Julkowski was asking the commissioners to recommend that the … Continued
Panel Green-Lights Zoning Change for Hotel, Other Uses at Kona Airport
In July and August, both the Leeward and Windward Planning Commissions of Hawaiʻi County approved a recommendation that the County Council change the county’s zoning ordinance and county code to allow for a range of activities at the county’s two … Continued
Following Investigation, DOT Commits to Auctioning All Future Airport Leases
Over the past several years, members of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources have questioned Ross Smith of the Department of Transportation’s Airports Division about some of his requests for board approval of direct leases. Why, they wondered, … Continued
State Land Use Commission Bars Vacation Rentals in Farm Dwellings
On August 13, the state Land Use Commission unanimously approved a petition from Hawaiʻi County for a declaratory order confirming that short-term vacation rentals (STVR) are not acceptable uses of farm dwellings in the Agricultural District. The commission also denied … Continued
Application for 40-Unit Lodge in Kona is Withdrawn Following LUC Ruling
On August 13, the state Land Use Commission voted to grant Hawaiʻi County’s petition for a declaratory ruling that short-term vacation rentals are not allowed for dwellings in the state Agricultural District. In so doing, it agreed with the county’s … Continued
Commission Approves Plan to Manage Water Shortages in Pearl Harbor Aquifer
On August 14, the state Commission on Water Resource Management approved a Pearl Harbor Water Shortage Plan, which dictates how the commission will determine when there is a water shortage and the actions various types of permitted users of the … Continued
New & Noteworthy: False Killer Whales, Kauai TVR Ruling
FKW Injury: Another false killer whale has been injured in an interaction with the Hawai‘i longline fishery. This time, the interaction occurred when a shallow-set longliner targeting swordfish hooked the animal, making it an extremely unusual event. Interactions between false killer whales and longliners … Continued