Posted on: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

EDITORIAL
Ko Olina's parking restricts beach access

Buoyed by a $75 million tax credit, the Ko Olina Resort & Marina is in for another growth spurt. Centex Homes, a Texas-based developer, has reached an agreement to build 320 luxury homes in the Leeward enclave.

This is the first project announced since the Legislature and Gov. Linda Lingle approved a tax-credit-financed aquarium.

Plans for more hotels, condominiums and a commercial village with stores and restaurants are in the works.

But how will this boom affect public access to the shoreline? As it is, Ko Olina is essentially a gated community whose residents bought their homes with the understanding that they would enjoy a certain level of privacy and exclusivity.

But if Ko Olina is going to enjoy the benefits of public financing by way of a $75 million tax credit, shouldn't the resort reciprocate by being as welcoming as possible to the public? As it is, visitors are monitored by a guard at the front gate and the resort's security Aloha Team.

On weekends, families with young children flock to the resort's four man-made lagoons for safe swimming. But there's clearly not enough public parking to meet the demand.

There are about 210 public parking spaces, and when they fill up, incoming vehicles must form a line and wait for someone to leave. That line can get long.

Meanwhile, nearby parking lots serving the marina and the Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club time-share complexes are restricted to residents, marina users and guests.

We're not saying the Ko Olina Resort hasn't been a decent neighbor; in many ways it has exceeded expectations. It's a major employer on the Leeward Coast, and that role will grow with the construction of more hotels, condominiums and amenities. Each year, the Ko Olina Community Association puts on a free Thanksgiving dinner for Leeward's needy.

But we have been wary of the Ko Olina tax credit from Day 1. It is our contention that the land would have been developed regardless of the tax break, and that the state would be better served if those credits were used to foster fledgling industries such as high-tech.

Now that Ko Olina has what it wants, we'd suggest the resort step up its neighborliness and its efforts to make the public feel welcome.

Increasing public parking would be a start.