Hawai’i State wen send one cease-and-desist order to one Utah company dat like build one new 350-room hotel on top Kauai’s old Coco Palms land. ?
Da company rep wen talk dey doing da kine good deed fo’ da community by cleaning up da overgrown site in Wailua. ?
Da Coco Palms Hotel wen open back in da 1950s but wen shut down afta Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Afta plenty years of development deals no going through, dis latest try facing community opposition. ?
Fern Holland stay wit one nonprofit organization dat like stop da development, citing da property get plenny cultural significance and ancient iwi (bones). ?
“Da place stay da birthing place of our royal family. It’s da last home of our royal family. Get choke rich history dea befo’ da original Coco Palms hotel wen build,” said Holland wit da nonprofit I Ola Wailuanui. ?
Now da State Land Board wen send dis letter to Coco Palms Ventures LLC, telling dem fo’ stop immediately da unpermitted clearing of da trees, o’ da developer could be fined $15,000 a day. ?
“Dat’s one action we tink stay long overdue fo’ da government fo’ step in and start fo’ hold da developers accountable fo’ da environment and cultural protections,” said Holland. ?️
Afta years of failed developments and financing problems, plenny peeps in da community no even know wat dis Utah company get da right fo’ do. Even da new Land Board Chair Dawn Ching wen admit at one recent meeting dat she no even know who get da property. ?
But da developer’s spokesperson wen defend da company, saying dey wen spend nearly one million dollars on top da site in da last six months. ?
“We like be good stewards. We like move forward in one way dat no wen happen befo’. We wen hear from da community dat deez buildings stay hazard, one eye sore, dey make all kine problems fo’ da community, and we trying fo’ take care of dat,” said Chad DeCoursey wit RP21 Coco Palms LLC. ?️
Holland wen say plenny peeps in da community still get hope dat da government go stop da hotel plans and find one solution fo’ help da community. ?
“Make ‘um into one kine park and place fo’ show proper respect and honor, and give ‘um back to da hands of da Hawaiians,” said Holland. ?
DLNR wen say in one statement, dey know about da concerns da Board of Land and Natural Resources wen bring up and dey working fo’ take care of ‘um. ?
NOW IN ENGLISH
? Coconut Land Halted: Hawaii State Land Board Issues “Cease and Desist” Order to Coco Palms Developers ?
Hawaii State has issued a cease-and-desist order to a Utah company attempting to build a new 350-room hotel on Kauai’s old Coco Palms property. ?
The company representative claims they are doing the community a favor by cleaning up the overgrown site in Wailua. ?
The Coco Palms Hotel was built in the 1950s but closed after Hurricane Iniki in 1992. After many years of failed development deals, the latest attempt faces community backlash. ?
Fern Holland is with a nonprofit organization trying to stop the development, citing the property’s cultural significance and ancient bones. ?
“It’s the birthplace of our royal family. It’s the last home of our royal family. There’s a vast amount of rich history there before the building of the original Coco Palms hotel,” said Holland with the nonprofit I Ola Wailuanui. ?
Now the State Land Board has sent a letter to Coco Palms Ventures LLC, ordering an immediate stop to the unpermitted clearing of trees, or the developer could be fined $15,000 a day. ?
“It’s something we feel is long overdue for the government to step in and start holding developers accountable for environmental and cultural protections,” said Holland. ?️
After years of failed developments and financing problems, many in the community are unsure about what the Utah company is allowed to do. Even the new Land Board Chair, Dawn Ching, admitted at a recent meeting that she was uncertain about who owns the property. ?
However, the developer’s spokesperson recently defended the company, saying they’ve spent nearly a million dollars on the site in the last six months. ?
“We want to be good stewards. We want to move forward in a way that hasn’t been done in the past. We’ve heard from the community that these buildings are a hazard, an eyesore, and create all kinds of problems for the community, and we’re trying to take care of that,” said Chad DeCoursey with RP21 Coco Palms LLC. ?️
Holland says many in the community still hope the government puts an end to the hotel plans and finds a solution to serve the community. ?
“Turn it into some sort of park and place to be properly respected and honored, and returned to the hands of Hawaiians,” said Holland. ?
DLNR, in a statement, told HNN it is aware of the concerns highlighted by the Board of Land and Natural Resources and is working to address them. ?
