Development at Marconi Point Conflicts With Resurgence of Albatross Nesting
Hoʻokipa, the first Laysan albatross to return to nesting within an ecological restoration area makai of the Turtle Bay golf course, died last month after getting stuck in an iron fence near her new nest at Marconi Point. In mid-December, … Continued
City Fines Marconi Point Condo Owners $200 For Illegally Grading Five Acres of Coastline
On December 4, the City & County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting finally issued a Notice of Violation for unauthorized clearing of coastal vegetation at Marconi Point on Oʻahu’s North Shore. The clearing, which the DPP notice says … Continued
Automatic Subdivision Approval Claims Survive City’s Motion to Dismiss Marconi Point Lawsuit
A federal lawsuit over whether development planned for a condominium property regime at Marconi Point requires a Special Management Area permit is still alive, but much narrower in scope. On December 20, U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake granted in … Continued
BOARD TALK: Contested Case Staves Off Fine Over Sunset Beach Erosion Control
“I’m hearing a lot of shirking of responsibility,” board member Aimee Barnes said on December 7, after the Board of Land and Natural Resources heard from Sunset Beach homeowner Eric Freeman and his attorney, Bernard Bays. Freeman had just claimed … Continued
NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Presetting in Waikiki, Weapons Training in Kaneʻohe
Preset Ban Ignored: “No commercial vendor shall preset commercial beach equipment on any beach … unless the customer is physically present for the immediate use of the commercial beach equipment.” So states Act 227 of the 2023 Legislature, which is … Continued
Hawaiʻi County Council OK’s Funds To Fight Lawsuit Over Kealakehe STP
On September 25, the County of Hawaiʻi was sued in federal court over the operation of its Kealakehe sewage treatment plant. That facility disposes of treated effluent by pumping it uphill to a disposal pit, where it then percolates through … Continued
Defendants in Hawaiʻi County Housing Fraud Lose Challenges to Superseding Indictment
The wheels of justice turn slowly, it is said. In the case of the federal criminal charges that have been brought against Hilo attorneys Gary Zamber and Paul Sulla Jr., and their business partner, Rajesh Budhabhatti, those wheels are turning … Continued
Hawaiʻi Longliners Get Increased Quota For Bigeye – at the Cost to Territories
For years, the Honolulu-based longline fishing fleet has been lobbying for an increase in the bigeye tuna allotment it has in that part of the ocean under the jurisdiction of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. Finally, last month, … Continued