Moloka'i residents are gearing up for a new development battle, but this one differs from those of the past three decades.

While many familiar faces are in opposition, a substantial segment of the community supports a new master plan that includes a 200-lot luxury resort development at La'au, on the southwest corner of the island.

Among supporters of the new Moloka'i Ranch master plan are some longtime anti-development activists.

What's different this time is that after more than 100 community meetings, ranch owner Moloka'i Properties has agreed to a long list of community demands, which some folks feel will finally give the Moloka'i community some control over its destiny. The concessions include the donation to a community land trust of more than 26,000 acres, along with a stream of cash to manage it.

"This is a benefit for the entire island. It provides us a way to take control of development, to have some say in the development of the island," said Milton Pa, a retired Hawaiian homesteader and member of the state Hawaiian Homes Commission. "If we said no to this proposal, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren yet to come would wonder what have we done to make Moloka'i a better place."

But Moloka'i is also sprinkled with "Stop La'au" signs, and protests are gaining focus. A rally Thursday night drew between 150 and 300 people in opposition, and longtime anti-development activist Walter Ritte promises to up the ante by establishing a physical beachhead on some of the La'au land Wednesday.

Ritte said he proposes to gain access to the island's undeveloped southwest coast by boat, where he and supporters will build a Hawaiian structure and occupy the site indefinitely. Opponents also plan to march in the Aloha Week parade in Kaunakakai and to hold a protest march along the coast from Kaupoa to La'au in October.

Hawaiian Homesteader Glenn Teves said that any new luxury or resort development poses unacceptable risks for the island because it uses a limited supply of drinking water, will drive up property prices for residents and will change the island's character.

Teves said his most fundamental concern is for water. Already, drinking water wells at Kawela and 'Ualapu'e are going salty, and more development means more demands on a critical resource.

Davianna McGregor, who is doing a cultural assessment for the project, said that on balance, she feels a strictly controlled subdivision at La'au is an appropriate price for the community benefits of the master plan, although she conceded that many Moloka'i residents fear the impact of 200 new wealthy families on the island's rural lifestyle.

Moloka'i Properties President Peter Nicholas said the company understands the water issues and has agreed not to use any new potable water for the La'au development. The firm will create a dual water system, using brackish water from a Kaunakakai well for all irrigation and redirecting potable water now used for irrigation to the La'au project. Furthermore, restrictions on the La'au project will strictly limit residents' use of water and will promote water recycling.

The master plan calls for protection of cultural sites and recreational areas, and the transfer of title to a Moloka'i Land Trust of acreage at the Na'iwa makahiki grounds near Kala'e, the dune lands west of Mo'omomi, a big square of land above Kaunakakai and a vast saddle of property on the eastern and southern slopes of Maunaloa. It's more than 26,000 acres in all. Additionally, the ranch will grant easements to perpetually give up its right to develop another 24,000 acres.

Moloka'i Properties and its parent, Singapore-based Brierley Investments, figure to gross an estimated $200 million from the sale of the 200 La'au lots of 1.5 to 2 acres. The money would pay for significant costs of development, and would also be used to renovate and reopen the Kaluako'i Hotel — which will create up to 100 new jobs — and to provide up to $10 million for the community land trust.

A unanimous Office of Hawaiian Affairs board has supported the project, as has Gov. Linda Lingle, a former Moloka'i resident. "It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the people of Moloka'i to chart a course for their children's future," she said.

Collette Machado, long an anti-development force on the island, is among those who worked on the master plan, and she supports it. "To me, this comes down to control. This guarantees no new resort development," said Machado, a member of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board. "It is amazing that this corporation is willing to turn over 51,000 acres to the community ... in return for one last development — the last development not just in our lifetime, but forever."

Homesteader Halona Kaopuiki said the permanent protections of cultural sites and burial grounds is critical.

One fear in the minds of many residents is that if Brierley Investments decided to abandon Moloka'i, it could sell off its more than 100 tax key parcels to diverse buyers, and the community would have nothing.

"If Peter (Nicholas) them pull out, what a total loss," Kaopuiki said.

LEARN MORE

Moloka'i Properties submittal to the state Land Use Commission:
http://luc.state.hi.us/dockets/a06764molokai/a06764petition1.pdf

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.