About 50 people turned out at Honolulu Hale yesterday to urge the City Council to slow or stop the resort development planned for the Kawela Bay area of O'ahu's North Shore.

Those opposed to the plan say it will ruin the rural character of the area, but a spokesman for developer Kuilima Resort Co. says the changes will improve the area but not make it a second Waikiki.

The City Council Zoning Committee was scheduled to take action yesterday on a resolution that would urge the city Department of Planning and Permitting "to enforce strict compliance with all applicable laws and unilateral agreement" and other permits and approvals needed for the Turtle Bay Resort expansion project.

City Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz, who represents the North Shore area, introduced the proposal after hearing concerns from many in the community about the impact of a proposal that would include five new hotels with 3,500 rooms, and four public parks.

Peter Cole, chairman of the O'ahu chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said it is bad public policy to allow an agreement reached in 1986 to guide a major development now without having to create a new impact statement.

"What should be done is to make the past zoning and associated unilateral agreement void along with the environmental impact statement, and require the developer to go through the entire planning, permitting and zoning process from scratch," he said.

"For the City Council to allow this to happen would just be a travesty," Cole said.

Early this month, resort developers revealed details of the planned expansion. The plans are based on a "unilateral agreement" reached two decades ago by developers, the city, state and community. The resort is now owned by a multibillion dollar investment company, Oaktree Capital Management.

Doug Carlson, spokesman for the developer, said Kuilima Resort Co. is committed to accomplishing everything that the council asked for in the resolution.

Carlson said the agreement fashioned 20 years ago anticipated many of the changes that have occurred. "We don't feel that there is a need to do a new environmental impact statement," he said.

"We, too, are committed to keeping the country country," Carlson said. He heard the concerns raised at the meeting but said that the plan will develop along rural standards, not urban ones.

Carlson said the two public parks and increased public access to the ocean would be an added benefit.

Some opponents worried that an affordable housing requirement of 10 percent would be too small when other developers currently are being asked for 30 percent. Carlson said the developer is committed to 10 percent "and perhaps more."

Council Zoning Chairwoman Barbara Marshall said the committee would take no action on the resolution yesterday based on legal advice from city attorneys.

The city had advised council members that taking action could increase the city's liability in relation to a lawsuit filed in February by Unite Here/Local 5 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union seeking an injunction to prevent the Kuilima Resort Co. from gaining development permits.

The union, which represents Turtle Bay workers, is involved in an ongoing dispute with the resort. Union leader Eric Gill said the court is scheduled to hold hearings in the suit next week.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.