Showe, who in 1998 partnered with fellow developer Jeff Stone to acquire and revitalize the mostly undeveloped Ko Olina Resort & Marina on O'ahu, also plans to remodel one of two shuttered retail centers and convert an unused restaurant into an apartment hotel at Kauai Lagoons.

"There's going to be a lot of new product," he said. "It's a fabulous property. We're very excited to have the opportunity to work on it."

The plan revives long-stalled expansion visions for the 800-acre resort, and joins a trend of developers building million-dollar homes and time-share units on Hawai'i sites approved for hotel use.

Similar expansion initiatives at long-stalled resort development projects have gathered strength recently at Princeville Resort on Kaua'i and at Ko Olina.

Kauai Lagoons opened in 1987 with the ornate 840-room Westin Kauai hotel, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and wildlife-populated islets surrounded by 40 acres of man-made lagoons plied by gondolas.

A second Nicklaus golf course and two high-end shopping centers also were developed, but Hemmeter ran into financing problems that nixed plans to build a second hotel, condominiums, time-share units and a third golf course.

Japanese firm Shinwa Golf Group acquired the golf courses, retail centers and expansion sites for about $200 million in 1991, but its efforts to continue Hemmeter's grand development vision was ruined the next year by Hurricane 'Iniki, damage from which closed the hotel and retail centers and hurt golf operations.

The hotel reopened in 1995 after it was bought by Marriott International and converted to hotel and time-share use, but Shinwa gave up on its planned expansion and was forced to sell its Hawai'i assets last year to help reduce roughly $600 million in debts.

Canada-based GolfBC acquired Shinwa's Kauai Lagoons property for about $17 million, according to property records.

The British Columbia company had not previously disclosed its plans, but last week partnered with Showe as Kauai Development LLC in a 50-50 venture.

Kauai Development has about 65 acres slated for redevelopment that would allow up to 750 visitor accommodation or residential units.

Showe said he's considering a mix that could include time-share, single-family homes, condominiums and fractional-ownership residences.

"We're going to develop a variety of products at different price levels for housing and visitor accommodations," he said.

According to Showe, the Artisan's Landing retail complex, an eyesore, will be razed in the next two months.

Fashion Landing, the other shuttered retail center, will be renovated and reopened.

Inn on the Cliffs, a former fine-dining restaurant, is to be converted to a 10-unit condominium, with condos for sale and for use as residences or hotel rentals.

Despite past plans to build a third golf course on a 130-acre site, Showe said that idea will not be revived.

"There are plenty of golf courses in Hawai'i," he said.