Waialae residents, country club at odds

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Bureau

KAHALA — Plans are moving forward at Waialae Country Club to build 60-foot-high safety nets, a cart path and a gate off Waiholo Street.

The club has decided to drop its initial plan to build a maintenance road behind homes along the ninth fairway, in part because of homeowner opposition, said Dwight Kauahikaua, an architect with Kauahikaua & Chun Architects.

But the 12-member Waialae Golf Course Community Association, which represents the 140 homeowners in the area, has complained that the country club has not responded to their other concerns, said Lester Leu, the association president.

"They haven't given us any comments," Leu said. "The arrogance of the club is astounding."

Club officials did not return phone calls yesterday from The Advertiser. In the past, the club has said it has responded to residents' concerns.

The nets on the golf course are 40 feet high. They span 680 feet and are strung between 18 coconut trees. Permission for the variance that allowed the original nets was issued in 1993. The country club has said it needs a higher safety net to contain errant golf balls on the driving range and that 38 poles will be installed to hold the new nets.

The country club is seeking a special management area use permit, a shoreline setback variance and a zoning variance from the city. Ultimately, the permit requests must go before the City Council for approval, which will mean additional opportunities for the public to comment.

Ira Helfer, a Waipahe'e Place resident for 16 years, said he was surprised the country club decided to go forward with its plans in view of the community's opposition.

"I moved here because of the open space," Helfer said. "To have to look at those poles is going to be terrible."