Waikoloa Beach Resort proposes adding 140 to 160 condominiums, a 10-unit lodge, spa, restaurant and recreation center on a 27-acre parcel adjacent to the Big Island vacation resort.

Resort master developer Waikoloa Land and Cattle Co. has requested an amendment to the Hawai'i County general plan to permit the expansion dubbed Waikoloa Makai. The county plan designates the parcel for conservation use.

Waikoloa Land intends to petition the state Land Use Commission to reclassify the parcel from conservation to urban use.

The company also has filed an environmental assessment and will prepare an environmental impact statement to address treatment of natural resources in the area that include archaeological sites, petroglyph fields, and the single-largest concentration of anchialine ponds in nearby 'Anaeho'omalu Bay.

Waikoloa Land said the project would preserve and enhance the natural resources on the property, which is intended to become a lower density residential development with recreational amenities incorporated into the existing 1,350-acre resort.

The company said in a filing with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control that it has a strong interest in developing the property because it would support the build-out of the resort from Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to the shoreline, meet market demand for more dwelling and vacation units and expand economic development and employment opportunities.

The resort, which opened in 1980, comprises the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Outrigger Waikoloa Beach, two golf courses and several hundred residential units.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.