Hawai'i Kai developers will preserve historic sites

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — Developers at two planned housing projects will work to preserve what is left of historic Hawaiian sites on their property once construction begins, according to plans filed recently with the city and state.

What's left of a home or work platform sits on one of the sites, on Hawai'i Kai Drive between the post office and the O'ahu Club. There, five different projects will be built on the nearly 14 acres.

The other site, also on Hawai'i Kai Drive, contains a burial site in a cave believed to date to pre-Captain Cook times. A total of 60 homes will be built on this land.

In both cases, there are other sites on the land, and some were destroyed in previous development attempts.

Hawai'i Kai, once a big fishing and agricultural area, is rich in Hawaiian historic sites. Many were destroyed when the area was first developed in the late 1960s.

One site that was lost is the Hawea Heiau, which was plowed under to create Kaluanui Road, said Sara Collins, an archaeologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

"Development has taken a toll on a number of sites in Hawai'i Kai," Collins said. "That part of the valley floor was covered with agricultural and habitation sites. But now, most of Hawai'i Kai is fill land."

The platform is on land that the nonprofit Hawai'i Intergenerational Community Development Association and four other developers plan to build on. Mike Klein, the association's project leader, said construction of 31 affordable senior rental apartments will begin in March and end in November.

Also on the property:

• Zane Development Group will build apartments for seniors, called The Manors at Hawai'i Kai.

• Schuler Homes plans to build 87 townhomes on four acres by the post office.

• Developer 21st Century Homes, a Hawai'i firm, will develop condominiums in two phases, with about 30 units in each.

• And Western Pacific Development will build 70 luxury two- and-three bedroom condominiums.

Construction on some of these projects may begin as early as next year, Klein said.

The most significant historic site on the nearly 14 acres is on land that will become a 5-acre park near the O'ahu Club. The site will have a 30-foot buffer zone built around it to preserve it, Klein said.

Further down Hawai'i Kai Drive, Bob Gerell, the developer of Kaluanui, a 60-home housing development, will have to get the O'ahu Burial Council to approve his plans to mitigate effects on a burial cave on the property.

"Over the years, the land (in the area) has undergone a change of ownership several times," Collins said. "Some parcels are fill land, but there are six archaeological sites we're concerned about on the Kaluanui property. Some sites don't require preservation, others will."

To get the necessary permits, Gerell must submit a new inventory of the archaeological sites on the property, replacing one done in 1998.

Gerell said he hopes to start site preparation work on the project early next year.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.