BUSINESS BRIEFS
Moloka'i Ranch offers draft EIS
By Advertiser Staff and News Services
A unit of Moloka'i Ranch said it submitted its draft environmental impact statement for its controversial plan to develop high-end housing lots at La'au Point on Moloka'i.
Moloka'i Properties Ltd., which filed the 1,000-plus page report with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control yesterday, said the report goes through considerable lengths to address community concerns. The company said the development will never be a gated community, will have the most stringent water conservation restrictions in the state and will designate about 1,000 acres for archeological site preservation.
The company said the homes will be at least 250 to 300 feet from the registered shoreline, 100 feet farther than required, and nearly 450 acres of shoreline fronting the homes will be reserved for subsistence use by the community.
Moloka'i Ranch's efforts to develop some 200 one-acre housing lots at La'au Point has split the Moloka'i community. Some say the development will encroach on traditional fishing grounds and will change the island's way of life by attracting wealthy Mainland investors. Others support the plan, which also involves conveying most of Moloka'i Ranch land to a community trust for perpetual preservation.
Members of the public have until Feb. 6 to submit comments with the Office of Environmental Quality Control on the La'au Point plan.
HILTON PREDICTS REVENUE GROWTH
Hilton Hotels Corp., which operates the Hilton Hawaiian Village and other resorts in Hawai'i, said it expects revenue per available room globally to rise 7 percent to 9 percent annually through 2009.
The company, discussing its projections with financial analysts in New York, said it expects to add about 120,000 rooms globally between 2007 and 2009, with an increasing amount of its room growth coming from expansion in international markets.
Hilton operates more than 2,800 hotels worldwide. Its brands include Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn.
