Portlock beachgoers oppose access settlement

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Bureau

Access to a popular beach off Portlock Road could be limited in a settlement being pursued by city attorneys with a property owner, despite beachgoers' opposition.

Winston Wong, an attorney with the city corporation counsel's office, told members of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board last night that the settlement would be a way for the city to save money and avoid years of fighting the landowner in the courts.

Under the terms of the proposed agreement, a gate would be locked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to deny access to the 6-foot-wide path leading to the beach. City parks officials favor the settlement, Wong said, and gate and the pathway would be maintained by city parks staff.

The neighborhood board, which had just been alerted to the settlement proposal, plans to discuss the issue at its meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 27.

The struggle has been going on for four years — pitting the community's right to beach access against the property owner's concern about late-night disturbances and incidents of theft and illegal drinking on the beach. The beach includes a popular surfing and fishing spot called Seconds.

Beachgoers said that since the city had initiated condemnation proceedings for the pathway, they thought beach access would be ensured.

"To allow a locked gate is a major step backward from what the City Council had initially approved," said Teresa McHugh, a resident of Hawai'i Kai. "What the property owners are asking is for us to pay to maintain their privacy."