Builder seeks shoreline variance
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
A landowner plans to build a 14,000-square-foot home on 1.8 acres on Portlock Road that will encroach slightly into the boundary between private property and the beach, requiring permission from the city and state.
• What: Public hearing on the shoreline setback variance permit • When: 9:30 a.m. July 21 • Where: City Department of Planning and Permitting 8th-floor conference room, 650 S. King St.
The property at 503 Portlock Road is currently vacant and is next to the former Kaiser estate. The permits are needed to repair the existing 6-foot-high seawall and to extend a drain pipe that is used to direct water runoff from properties upslope into Maunalua Bay. The wall and pipe encroach onto the 40-foot shoreline setback.
Hearing for permit issue
Residents are not expected to oppose the plan, as long as it doesn't interfere with public access to the beach.
The city will hold a public hearing on the shoreline setback variance permit at 9:30 a.m. July 21 at the city Department of Planning and Permitting 8th-floor conference room, 650 S. King St. The city is expected to grant the permit as there are no significant impacts on the shoreline from the proposal.
The property owners, ATS 1998 Trust, live on the Mainland. According to information on file at the city Department of Planning and Permitting, the owners estimate it will take about nine months to build the home after the city and state permits are issued.
The owners also are required to obtain a conservation district use permit, a coastal zone management permit and a consistency certification from the state, according to information on file at the city Department of Planning and Permitting.
The existing seawall is about 150 feet long and needs repair, the documents say. The property owner plans on spraying concrete over the wall, rather than replacing it. The drainage pipe will be extended from the length of the property to the seawall, according to the plans.
A nearby resident, Ron Stanton, who is a former member of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board, said he favored the development and the repairs to the seawall, as long as the owners ensure public access to the shoreline.
In the past five to 10 years, public right of way along Portlock Road has become an issue between homeowners, who want to ensure their privacy, and the public, which has a constitutional right to access the ocean.
"As long as the access to the beach is assured, I'm OK with the development," Stanton said. "But generally, any development that blocks access, I'm not in favor."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
