(BIVN) – The County of Hawaiʻi could be looking to acquire 27-acres of land in the area of ʻAnaehoʻomalu, a parcel on the South Kohala coast that was identified late last year as a top priority for preservation. 

During a Tuesday meeting of the Hawaiʻi County Council Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions in Kona, local lawmakers will consider Resolution 486-24, authorizing the Director of Finance to enter into negotiations to acquire the ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa land, or establish a conservation easement there.

ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa was listed as priority number one in the 2023 Annual Report of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission, or PONC.  

A map shows the land is on the popular ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay, just to the south of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Figure 5 below, shows the property location of TMK (3) 7-1-003:010 as relative to ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay and the Lava Lava Beach Club.

From the language of the resolution:

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF LANDS OR A CONSERVATION EASEMENT FOR ALL OR A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY IDENTIFIED AS TAX MAP KEY (3) 7-1-003:010, ALSO KNOWN AS ʻANAEHOʻOMALU KAPALAOA, SITUATED IN THE AHUPUAʻA OF PUʻUANAHULU, DISTRICT OF KONA, UTILIZING THE PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND.

WHEREAS, Chapter 2, Article 42 ofthe Hawaiʻi County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended) (hereinafter “the Code”) establishes a Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-214. 1(c) of the Code provides that the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund shall be used for “acquiring lands or property entitlements in the County of Hawaiʻi for the following purposes:

1) Public outdoor recreation and education, including access to beaches and mountains;
2) Preservation of historic or culturally important land areas and sites;
3) Protection of natural resources, including buffer zones;
4) Preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas, natural beauty and agricultural lands; and
5) Protection of watershed lands to preserve water quality and water supply”; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-217 of the Code provides, in part, that the duties and responsibilities of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (hereinafter “the Commission”) include developing and submitting to the Mayor an initial prioritized list of qualifying lands worthy of preservation and updating the list annually by December 31 of each year; and

WHEREAS, ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa, as shown in “Exhibit A”, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference, consists of approximately 27.38 acres, and is ranked as the highest priority for acquisition in the Commission’s 2023 Annual Report to the Mayor, dated November 13, 2023; and

WHEREAS, on March 1, 2024, the State of Hawaiʻi Legacy Land Conservation Commission recommended a Legacy Land Conservation Program grant award in the amount of $3,000,000 to purchase ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa, providing a significant amount of matching funding; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-218(a) of the Code provides, in pertinent part, that “[t]he council shall, by resolution, select the land or lands to be preserved…”; and “[w]here there are multiple lands under consideration at any one time, priority shall be given to coastal lands and lands where matching funding is available to leverage the County contribution”; and

WHEREAS, the ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa Property is an exceptional cultural and natural landscape, containing Keahualono Heiau and Hiʻiakaikaʻaleʻi Heiau; ancient habitation and cave complexes; petroglyph fields; mauka-to-makai and coastal trail networks; ecosystems with endemic flora and fauna, including pristine anchialine pools teeming with ʻopae ʻula (native shrimp); and public access to the southern shoreline of ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay for sustenance fishing, gathering, and other cultural practices; and

WHEREAS, the acquisition of title or a conservation easement for ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa would be significantly beneficial to the County of Hawaiʻi for the following reasons:

1) To safeguard invaluable cultural and natural resources;
2) To preserve undeveloped coastal and beachfront land;
3) To protect native species and their natural habitats;
4) To maintain fresh water springs and anchialine ponds;
5) To facilitate safe, legal, and responsibly-managed public access;
6) To enable descendant- and community-based management and stewardship; and
7) To perpetuate the lifestyle, culture, and history of Puʻuanahulu; and

WHEREAS, the current landowner has expressed interest in a preservation sale of the property, providing the County with a special opportunity for acquisition and management; and

WHEREAS, several community stakeholders, including Na ʻOiwi O Puʻuanahulu, Hui Aloha Kiholo, and the Ala Kahakai Trail Association have signaled support to work in various capacities with the County, the landowner, lineal descendants, and the broader community to secure, establish, and maintain this proposed acquisition in order to perpetuate and protect the cultural and natural resources of the area; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI that, pursuant to Chapter 2, Article 42 of the Code, the Director of Finance is hereby authorized to enter into negotiations for the acquisition of lands or a conservation easement for all or a portion of the property identified as tax map key (3) 7-1-003:010, also known as ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa, situated in the ahupuaʻa of Puʻuanahulu, district of Kona, utilizing the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Finance is hereby authorized to initiate any funding mechanisms required for the acquisition of lands or a conservation easement for all or a portion of the property identified as tax map key (3) 7-1-003:010, also known as Anaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa, situated in the ahupuaʻa of Puʻuanahulu, district of Kona, in accordance with the terms of this resolution.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the Honorable Mitchell D. Roth, Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi; Diane Nakagawa, Director of Finance; Dawn N. S. Chang, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Stacy K. Ferreira, Administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Alexandra Kelepolo, Chairperson of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission.