Posted on: Friday, April 20, 2001
City Council pursues Luana Hills purchase for park
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau
The City Council budget chairman said he will add money into the city budget for next fiscal year to purchase all of the Luana Hills County Club land in Maunawili Valley and realize a longstanding plan to create a regional park that also would block further development in the area.
The City Council recently approved the mayor's supplemental budget for this fiscal year, which included $4.2 million to purchase the nongolf-course acreage of the property, about 900 acres, from the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
Budget Chairman Steve Holmes said in the budget that takes effect July 1 he'll include money to purchase the golf course and the clubhouse on the property. The city is still working on establishing a dollar amount for the property, Holmes said.
Weinberg purchased the land last year from Pan Pacific Development Inc. through its affiliate, HRT Ltd., for $12 million. Pan Pacific purchased the property in 1995 for $35 million in a foreclosure. The total property is about 1,084 acres, which includes trails to Mount Olomana and Maunawili Falls.
Next year's budget is being processed by the City Council, and Holmes said yesterday that he expects to have a dollar figure based on an appraisal in two weeks when his committee meets again.
Although the property is not on the market, the city has several options to purchase it.
"If we're not able to negotiate a price with Weinberg, we can still exercise our power of eminent domain," Holmes said.
The city's desire to purchase the land should be no surprise to Weinberg, Holmes said. Two years ago the City Council expressed its wish to acquire the property, and more recently it placed the property on the public infrastructure map as a park, he said.
"Weinberg was certainly aware of the city's intention prior to their engaging in bidding on the property," he said. "They may not like it, but that's where the city is heading."
HRT did not return a call seeking comment.
On several occasions, Maunawili Valley residents and the Kailua Neighborhood Board have asked Weinberg to explain its intention for the property, but it has never responded, said Jim Corcoran, who lives in Maunawili and is a member of the neighborhood board.
The neighbors are especially concerned that Weinberg or its affiliate will build condominiums or homes on 210 acres initially intended for a second golf course, Corcoran said.
Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24 (Enchanted Lake-Maunawili-Kane'ohe) has said that he has spoken to a representative of Weinberg, who said it had no intention to build homes at this time.
When Corcoran learned that Holmes wanted to make the area into a park, he and the community supported the plan, he said.
But now Corcoran is not sure Holmes can convince the rest of the City Council members to condemn the land or agree on a fair market value for it.
"We fully support Steve Holmes and it gives us hope that he's the budget chair. However, it's not accomplished yet and we have no assurance from the landowner that they are not going to build, so we are in a state of healthy skepticism," Corcoran said.
