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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Council advances Ko Olina changes

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The City Council zoning committee gave preliminary approval yesterday to a zoning change that paves the way for a daycare center, fire station and strip mall to be built on the Ko Olina Resort property, despite concerns from the previous council over the resort's failure to turn over public access easements.

At its final meeting in December, the previous council deferred the zoning change because the resort's developers had not kept a 16-year-old agreement with the city to formalize easements guaranteeing public access to the beach.

Lorrie Stone, the attorney representing the resort, said she expected to file the easements today.

Councilwoman Barbara Marshall cast the sole vote against passing the bill, suggesting that the committee wait until the easements were filed. "I am very concerned that we have a developer here who has for years and years and years been promising, promising, pro-mising, and we still don't have those easements filed. I would be much more comfortable if we waited until we see those easements in the form that we need them," she said.

The previous council rejected the developer's attempts to include a restricted access agreement in the easements. Although the resort and community members have agreed to the restricted access policy, previous council members felt it was inappropriate to include the restrictions in the easements, since state law requires unrestricted access to the shoreline.

But committee chairman Councilman Charles Djou pointed out that the full council will be able to see if the easements have been filed before giving final approval to the zone change. "I've always contended that development in West O'ahu is extraordinarily important," he said.

While he acknowledged Marshall's comments had merit, Djou said, "On the merits of this bill, I believe it should be passed and shouldn't be held hostage for other ancillary concerns."