Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 6, 1 June 2023 — Wailua Community Says “No” to Another Hotel [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Wailua Community Says “No” to Another Hotel

ln the three decades since it wūs destroyed by Hurricone 'lniki, the former Coco Polms Hotel in Woiluo, Kouo'i, has sot in ruins. The lond beneoth the rubble wos onee the seot of government for Koua'i's ruling chiefs, a sacred wohi pana with countless culturol sites. A Utoh-based developer has purchased the lond to build onother hotel, but ū community group, I Ola Woiluonui, is trying to roise the funds to buy back the lond and restore it for culturol enrichment, educotion, conservotion and food production. - Photos: Courtesy of Mason Chock

By Kawehionapuaokalanikeha Haug It's been 30 years sinee hurrieane 'Iniki slammed into the island of Kaua'i, razing and flattening mueh of the island. And the Coeo Palms Hotel - made famous by the 1961 movie Blue Hawai'i starring Elvis Presley - was one of the easualties. When the hurricane hit, the hotel had already lost most of its Hollywood glamour. Old and run-down, it quickly succumbed to the damaging winds and heavy rains and three decades later its ruins remain - a glaring eyesore that is unmissable from Kūhiō Highway. Located in the ahupua'a of Wailua, the hotel was built in the lower river valley region known as Wailuanuiaho'āno. This wahi pana (storied plaee) was onee the social, eeonomie, polhieal and religious center of Kaua'i, and the seat of government for the island's ruling chiefs. The area includes many significant sacred sites including heiau, burials, birthing stones, a bell stone, petroglyphs, ancient fishponds and eanoe landings. An archaeological survey found that Wailua eontained more heiau than any other ahupua'a on Kaua'i. Today, acres of the sacred lands at Wailuanuiaho'āno are buried by the rubble and ruin of the Coco Palms; a 21st-century scrapyard of collapsed structures, broken glass and crumbling concrete. Although the Coco Palms' shine faded rather quickly after peaking during the height of Hollywood's infatuation with Hawai'i kitsch, there have been several attempts over the years by developers hoping to restore the hotel to its former glory and cash in. But plagued by years of stalled plans, ever changing property owners, permitting hang-ups, environmental challenges (including ongoing severe flooding due to sea level rise), insufficient funding, and eommunity protests, those attempts all failed. However, that hasn't prevented Utah developer Reef Capital Partners from trying to move forward with its plans to build a 350-room hotel on the 40acre site. Not surprisingly, their plan has received tremendous community opposition. Today, Wailuanuiaho'āno represents yet another struggle for Native Hawaiian 'āina stewardship. The fight for land rights, stewardship and restoration of Wailuanuiaho'āno has been ongoing for decades but has escalated since Reef Capital Partners' plans for the area were announced. Mason Chock, vice chair of I Ola Wailuanui, a nonprofit formed by Wailua residents to protect Wailuanuiaho'āno, said that the land is unique and significant and that it belongs in the hands of the Wailua community. I Ola Wailuanui proposes restoration and protection of the wahi pana via a community driven pro-

cess. Their vision is to "restore Wailuanuiaho'āno to a flourishing space for cultural enrichment, education, conservation and food production." They propose developing a Hawaiian cultural and education center and an agricultural park that ean be used as a resource for the community in perpetuity. At a May 10 meeting, Kaua'i County Council Chair Mel Rapozo proposed that Kaua'i County reclaim the Coco Palms site from the revolving bevy of developers via eminent domain. "But that comes at a price," Rapozo said to an audience of community members, many of whom attended to provide testimony against any further development. "Because with condemnation comes the real market value that we've got to pay [to the landowner]...[but] if this is what the community wants, we ean get it done." By all accounts, the community definitely wants to reclaim the property although money is the biggest hurdle. At the eouneil meeting, representatives for the developer said that they are willing to sell the land to the community for $22 million - their own purchase price. Undaunted, I Ola Wailua Nui is raising money to purchase the land. Like Rapozo, the organization believes that buying back the land is the first step to realizing their vision. "Purchasing the land is really just a means of stopping another hotel from being built. Our organization is focused on ensuring that the cultural and historical significance of that area is perpetuated for the community," Chock said. "We recognize that this particular property, historically and up until today, has lease rights as a hotel. But we don't believe that that's in the best interest of the community, from the standpoint of climate change, sea level rise and stewardship of this wahi pana," Chock added. He estimates that, in addition to the cost of purchasing the land, it will cost at least $10 million to achieve their ultimate goal: to elean and clear the land and hand it over to the community to steward. Nevertheless, Chock is optimistic. "Looking at this project over the last two years. I feel like our organization has taken an active and necessary role toward working with the community and realizing their vision," says Chock. 'Acquisition is just a means to an end, really. We don't see ourselves as the organization to take over [stewardship] of this property. We are the ones to ensure that it goes to the community." The Kaua'i Council resolution introduced at the May 10 meeting seeking reclamation of the land via eminent domain was deferred, but Rapozo has said that he plans to submit another resolution. ■ For more information go to www.wailuanui.org.