Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 8, 1 August 2007 — Developer gives up reclassification bid for site-rich Poʻipū tract [ARTICLE]

Developer gives up reclassification bid for site-rich Poʻipū tract

By Sterling Kini Wūng blicatinns Editnr

AKaua'i landowner may have shelved a development projeet planned for a 127-aere traet of land on the island's south side that area residents feared would endanger the property's numerous arehaeologieal sites. In July, the Erie A. Knudsen Trust withdrew its petition with the state Land Use Commission to ehange the elassifieation of the 127-aere property loeated in Kōloa, from agrieultural to urban. The reelassifieation was eritieal for the trust's plans to develop a 203-aere residential eommunity ealled Village at Po'ipū. "We deeided that we have other projeets that are more sueeessful and that our time would be better spent foeusing on those," said Staeey Wong, trustee for the Knudsen Trust. "We have no plans for the property at this time." Sherry Broder, an attorney who represented OHA in the puhlie hearings before the state, ealled the Knudsen Trust's deeision to pull its petition "a tremendous vietory." "Many of these arehaeologieal sites are from 1200 AD," she said. "There's just not many of them left." The proposed development is loeated in Po'ipū, in the distriet of Kōloa, an area that onee sustained a thriving Native Hawaiian community. The area's rocky and dry landscape was used up until the 19th century to grow wet taro, 'uala (swee potato) and sugar eane. A sophisticated irrigation system delivered water to the Po'ipū taro patches from neighboring areas. Today, many of the archaeological remnants of the Hawaiian settlement in Po'ipū still exist, including house sites, rock walls and portions of the raised 'auwai (ditch) system. The 127-acre site at the center of the dispute would have allowed the trust to develop an additional 98 one-acre, single family house lots. According to the project's proposed final environmental impact study, 50-foot buffers would be created around eaeh archaeological site, and preserves would be created around the larger archaeological complexes. The Kaua'i County Council unanimously passed a resolution recommending that the state not reclassify the property. In addition, OHA and the Kaua'i Historic Preservation Review Commission also eame out in opposition to the trust's reclassification petition.