The Kaua'i County Council yesterday passed the state's first ban on "big-box" stores, with a prohibition on any retail or wholesale establishment bigger than 75,000 square feet.

Council members said they oppose big-box stores for many reasons, among them protecting communities and local stores.

"Big-boxes, regardless of what company, when they come into town they do cause mom-and-pop stores to close," said Councilman Mel Rapozo.

The island already has Costco, Wal-Mart and Kmart stores — all in Lihu'e — that are in excess of 100,000 square feet. But those would be the last such stores under the new zoning regulation.

The first target of the law is likely to be Wal-Mart's proposal to expand its 119,000-square-foot Lihu'e store into a Supercenter with nearly 200,000 square feet. The store would have both the normal Wal-Mart fare and a grocery component.

"This limits consumer choice. On behalf of our customers and consumers on the island, we're disappointed with this decision," said Eric Berger, western regional public affairs director for Wal-Mart.

County Council members have been unanimous in their support of the superstore ban, which was proposed by Mayor Bryan Baptiste. Yesterday's vote was 5-0, with two council members absent, but all seven have previously expressed support for the bill.

"As an island, it's important that we initiate discussion on the challenges we face and decisions be made to set parameters for Kaua'i's future. Today we set a building block on how we should grow. To have come to this decision is a good thing," Baptiste said in a statement release yesterday afternoon.

Some residents appeared at yesterday's council meeting with light-blue T-shirts reading "Pass Big Box Bill," but others were in dark-blue shirts that read "Let Kaua'i Choose."

"I'm angry that they have not listened to their constituents. It's been 3-to-2 against this bill throughout," said Martha Ryker of Kalaheo. "Limiting store size adds to urban sprawl."

Councilman Jay Furfaro said he is concerned that with high fuel prices, the loss of local stores could particularly hurt poor and elderly residents unable to travel long distances.

"I don't think the issue is bigger grocery stores. It's too much centralization for an island that has a population of 68,000," Furfaro said.

Kekaha resident Alfred Sarmento said the high fuel prices will keep people shopping locally and will protect local grocery stores. But he said people on fixed incomes should be permitted to take advantage of the price breaks of the big-box operations.

"We need the alternative. Our county council has decided that we don't need the lower prices," Sarmento said.

PRESERVING CHARACTER

Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, who introduced the bill, argued in part that a key issue for her was the protection of Kaua'i's rural character.

Her bill said superstores "are more appropriate, if at all, in large urban areas with huge freeways and many people. By centralizing services to the extreme, they contradict the very 'smart growth' policies that the island is seeking to follow in order to lessen its oil dependency and infrastructure costs, perpetuate walkable, bikeable small town communities and encourage and support small businesses that have been an integral part of the landscape for years."

Government officials conceded their decision was a tough one.

"There are pros and cons to the big-box issue," Baptiste said. Council chairman Kaipo Asing called it "one of the harder decisions that I've made."

Several council members recalled decades-old battles over such things as rezoning of agriculture land and limits on building height. As in those cases, this one has caused rifts in the island community, Yukimura said.

"We really are split, this community is. I pray and hope that we're making the right decision here," she said.

ISLANDWIDE INTEREST

Councilwoman Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho said few residents appeared to be without a position on the big-box issue.

"There was participation, I think, islandwide on this issue," she said. She said she likes shopping at the big-boxes — specifically CompUSA, Best Buy and Wal-Mart Supercenters — but doesn't mind traveling off-island to visit them.

Several members of the council went out of their way to say their intent is not anti-Wal-Mart. "They are good corporate, community citizens," Furfaro said.

And several also said that 75,000 square feet is still a large store.

"I think this community can function with a 75,000-square-foot limit," Rapozo said.

"At 75,000 feet, there's still a lot of opportunity here," Yukimura said.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.