180 hillside cabins proposed
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
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A project planned for open hills above the Hawai'i Kai golf course will include recreation centers, tennis courts, swimming pools and 180 large vacation cabins on 181 acres of land, a developer said yesterday.
The cabins will have 800 square feet of interior space plus covered lanai, according to a statement from a development group called QRM.
Some cabins will include outdoor kitchens and bathrooms.
The developer is scheduled to give an presentation on the project Tuesday at the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board meeting.
"There is a demand for increased recreational opportunities for the growing population of East Honolulu," said Aaron Eberhardt, listed on the announcement as QRM's director of development. "We recognize the community's concerns and we've designed our projects to blend into the existing landscape and complement nearby Ka Iwi State Park and other surrounding recreational areas."
Some Hawai'i Kai residents are concerned about the project.
"Those are awfully big cabins," said Jeanette Hanson, a member of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board. "Will they be split in half? In thirds? We could be talking about a lot of cars.
"Traffic congestion and wastewater — those are my personal concerns."
The Hawai'i Kai board's agenda for Tuesday lists the group making the presentation as Westwood Development Group. Aaron Eberhardt is cited as director of development.
According to the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, QRM, the development group listed on the news release, has a Fort Street Mall address. Its agent is Hawai'i Kai resident Robert Gerell.
A representative of a private public relations firm dropped off the QRM release at the newspaper yesterday and said no members of the development group were available for comment yesterday.
The land to be developed is on two parcels:
Plans include 7,500-square-foot clubhouses at each location, plus pools, tennis and volleyball courts, and trails.
Elizabeth C. Reilly, a Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board member, said she is meeting with members of organizations that have fought developments on the ocean side of Kalaniana'ole Highway to see whether their concerns will apply to the planned development.
"As a member of the neighborhood board, I think it is my duty to go out and find out what community members are thinking," she said. "There are growing concerns about infrastructure and sewage."
She encouraged concerned residents to attend the board meeting Tuesday at Haha'ione Elementary School at 7 p.m.
Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i chapter, said he had just started researching the planned development.
"I saw the site plan," he said last night. "Pretty incredible.
"At that location, I have a feeling that this is something the Sierra Club will probably choose to oppose.
"That area has a long history of people wanting to protect the last respites of open spaces in their community."
Reach Karen Blakeman at kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
