And on that note, will they Stop resanding Waikiki Beaches? If not, why choose Some Beaches over Others, is there a Political Motivation? Everything in Hawaii turns out to be Politically Motivated, they are the “mouthpieces” for the Hotel/Resort/Timeshare Industry. More going on than meets the eye. To believe that the industry doesn’t know that they need to move buildings is showing a lack of intelligence. They have long term plans to do so.
I think this is a great decision. Now if Oahu County would stop granting exceptions for the repair, expansion, and building of Seawalls especially for the rich and famous ie the Obama Estate.
I am thankful my tax payments may/will not go to this project. I’d rather the tax funds go to further protect our beaches by solving the unhoused issues and cleaning up our beach garbage and encampments. Perhaps even providing sanitation stations in order to protect the wildlife and beaches.
Mahalo!
It is indeed the time to make this decision to respect what is best for the coastal environment there. Honoring the health of nature and the wishes of most of the local population rather than continuing to pander to and invest in significant state funds in high end business profits is the right choice for Maui nei. Mahalo to the DLNR for a bold and necessary move respecting land and locals. Mahalo.helen
Frank, Hawaii is carrying a large debt load that is increasing year over year, the State can keep throwing money into the hole of problems attempting to subsidize, but to what end? The Federal Government isn’t going to continue subsidizing Bad Behaviors, Hawaii isn’t California. Sometime in the near past Hawaii actually sold their Only Real Monetized Commodity, their Aloha is gone. With that removed from the negotiating table they have Nothing left to Leverage. Soon Hawaii will be Forced to Fix Their Own Problems, the Fed could do it!
Everyone is making good points, but am I wrong in assuming that the Timeshares, Resorts and Privately owned places at the Alli have all paid $$ and taxes towards this? What is going to happen to those dollars that have been collected? Will they go the way of all the $$ that are collected in Hawaii for who knows what?
When tourism declines on one of the most famous beaches in the world because of the beach erosion, the powers that be will miss the tourists’ $$ and all the tax dollars.
Thank you. As someone who lives in a coastal area of the Continental U.S. that enjoys the hundreds of millions of dollars per year left behind by tourists (which reduces my tax bill Tremendously) . . . this may come back to bite someone in the b#tt.
What is Hawaii thinking?
Great post Carl.
Hawaii averages around 85 drownings a year.
On Kauai and Maui 75% of the deaths are tourists.
Almost seems they don’t care if tourists die?
Is that right, Carl? I own MMOC Napili tower & have spent months on K Beach over the years. Seen a number of sad drownings in the Maui News, but in my observation, South Maui has had lots of drownings, as well as up around Honolua.
I live in South Maui and last week I drove up to see how Kaanapali Beach looked. Instead of a narrow strip of sand the beach in front of K. Alii it was wider than any other stretch of the beach. Sands constantly shift with the seasons and winter storms are becoming more severe. That is the way nature works. Personally, I am pleased that DLNR has decided not to waste any more tax dollars on this losing battle—unfortunate as it may be.
Had developers, back in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s, consulted with local Hawaiians, wise in the ways of the ocean, they would have been advised to build those hotels and condos much further back from the shoreline. Instead, they competed to be as close to the water as possible. Don’t back down DLNR!
It’s a well known fact that everyone wants to be close to the beach and ocean, hotels and resorts have provided that for over 60 years. “Real Hawaiians” were Consulted and even in most instances helped construct the buildings, just as they did throughout the Islands. People are often quick to judgment and rarely consider what occurred vs what is the “popular fantasy” of the moment, drama seems to perpetuate itself quickly. It’s more popular to Criticize than Factualize, why not Blame those officials that Permitted the locations? Is it because they were all of Hawaiian Decent! Investment and Return is often what the Islanders back then saw most, Dollars to Save a Waning Culture from disappearing. The Good and Bad, all in One
The initial agreement was negotiated 10 years ago, and the resorts have been working towards that. Now they get told that they have lost 10 years in making any alternate plans, everything they have been working towards could be thrown away.
I have no problem with the state putting conditions, such as making this the last time that replenishment would be allowed – so the resorts know to plan towards other solutions. But changing direction at this point on the original plan blindsides those involved, causing chaos and uncertainty.
I was blessed to enjoy my first trips on Maui in the early 70’s and through to last trip in 2016. But I remember exactly in 1986 looking around the island and seeing homes and condos, and hotels popping up everywhere there was beautiful greenscape. I came back to the Mainland and after careful thought, wrote a letter to the then Mayor Linda Lingle, and promised her that I would Never move to Maui in order to help preserve this beautiful land. I am only one person, obviously not enough of me’s to keep this island from becoming Hell in a handbasket. I have one more trip in my lifetime and it has been stressful to plan with social media haters, horror stories about car rentals, and the exhorabant price increase.
Thanks you for the information. We just booked out Maui vacation for the fall and are staying at Kaanapali beach hotel. I hope there is a beach there when we get there
The only nice thing about Kaanapali is the view. The entire stretch of the cost is overcrowded, and half of that three mile stretch is very hard for swimming due to very rocky bottom. Too commercial and lacks most of what makes Hawai’i a paradise. I could never understand why such high ratings. There are so many much nicer beaches in Hawai’i, including Maui.
Unbelievable that they will just let the shoreline wash away these beautiful resorts. Common sense is not seen in Hawaii right now. Do they expect these multi million dollars resorts will just be left to fall in the ocean.
What a convenient way to get rid of large corporations that the government can’t afford to push out so they’re going to let nature take them out and then I’m sure that DLNR will be more than happy to scoop up the cheap or free land and do anything they want with it including restoring the beaches! This is nothing new and it’s hardly sneaky, everybody knows how this all works. Just keep an eye on their & their friends & relatives bank accounts years from now…
Bill, it’s really bad in front of the Ali’i. I own next door at Marriott Ocean Club. I haven’t seen it since the high tide event, but it took out a number of palms along the beach walk, and the concrete of
The sidewalk is literally hanging in multiple places where the sand has been washed from Beneath. You should be able to search for video footage of the erosion. I saw one a while back but don’t recall the link.
We were just there. The path is gone. You can walk on the beach to continue on your walk or take a detour down near the main road to reconnect with the walkway.
Kaanapali Beach will eventually get restored, but the open question is who will pay for it. Could this be a financial game of chicken between Hawaii DNR and the dozens of large hotels and condos that abut this shore?
For the uninitiated, Kaanapali is a perfectly fine west Maui Beach,but its rank among the world’s finest is a delusion of its boosters.
DLNR has gone wacko. You can’t move 12 story buildings away from the beach. You can abandon them, fire all of the local employees, shut down businesses and cut off a very steady and needed flow of tax dollars to both the county and state governments.
Sand restoration was allowed and successful at Waikiki just a few years ago. It’s not just Kaanapali that needs restoration but more so DLNR.
These people are a true danger to our society.
What makes Waikiki’s restoration so farcical is that it and Ala Moana used to be swamps. They are man made beaches and we paid millions to create and millions to restore yet DNLR and environmentalists are silent about them.
Each of us has the prerogative to ignore what scientists say. But, as the actual sea level rises and more intense storms chip away at coastal infrastructure, one must accept that replacing sand cannot save beaches today, as it did years ago. Beaches will move more inland where natural landscape permits. It’s not that it’s going to happen, it is happening. Forward thinking solves problems. Hindsight can be painful. Mahalo.
I will always remember the beauty of Kaanipali beach, the cliff divers, rainbows and music from the resorts. So glad I experienced this many years ago. Is there still a beach?
Aren’t they also paying taxes, including the guests and the employees working there? The best answer would be for them to Not pay any taxes if they’re not gonna get a benefit. Taxation without any promise of services is outright theft and extortion.
Life is full of choices for your tourist dollars. Our annual trip to Hawaii is now morphing into flying into HNL to then head out of Hawaii to more friendly islands. Wholeheartedly agree with the comments that the average tourist is being charged more for less by the government of Hawaii. Meanwhile the jet-setter celebs who were unaffected by the pandemic and contributed little to Hawaii tourism while they helicopter into their Hawaiian mega-mansions are being fawned over by the locals. What’s next, requests for even more economic bailout from the state of Hawaii?
“Managed Retreat”…have these people seen Kauai or Ni’ihau or better yet Nihoa? Without shoreline protection/restoration, the forces of nature will turn our islands into uninhabitable rocks. It doesn’t become a problem till it is affecting the Government’s or elected officials’ interests. Has anyone seen the seawalls at Sand Island, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, Honolulu International Airport, the list goes on. Every one of those are re-enforced. How do you stop erosion, you restore it. Visit Asia and Middle East, they are not just restoring but building out. Our leaders lack vision, creativity, and practicality.
Nah, they won’t be spending millions on advertising anymore. They are disbanding the Hawaii Tourism Authority and putting it under the government Office of Destination Management. Yet another thing Hawaii is doing in their efforts to thwart tourism. “We have enough tourists already, we don’t need to advertise” is the rationale.
Hawaii has, and will always be a place of change. I don’t think it’s possible that money in the long run can make any meaningful change. We need to learn to work with what Hawaii gives us.
It simply means relocate the hotels, etc. Build new or use existing inland properties. Not sure what happens to the existing shoreline properties – knock them down, probably.
How do these properties retreat from the eroding shoreline. Do they pick up their buildings and move them back? I don’t understand what they are suggesting.
Due to the Negligence of the Plannin and Zoning Officials these Buildings/Structures/Resorts/Hotels/ Timeshares will need to be Reconstructed much further from the Ocean and the Existing must be torn down. Imagine the Amounts of Money that it will take to do all of this. Beach Erosion has been present ever since there was a Beach and Waves, it didn’t just appear suddenly. This is ridiculous but remember that it is Hawaii.
My good friend is a very prominent Geologist with a very successful environmental remediation/testing company. It is called Nature friends ! He tells me that Mother Nature has been moving, shaking, changing since Creation ie. Ice age, Stone Age, Dinosaurs, more currently the US Dust Bowl etc… Ancient Hawaiians did not build permanent homes on the beach, as they knew better as waves, currents, and ocean rises and fall over Millennium. Nature did not create this problem…Developers did.
Beach erosion and shoreline changes have been occuring for many thousands of years. This is not news! Those who build on the shores should be aware of this ever changing oceanic environment. Thus these temporary and new beachside entities need to be willing to protect their properties without touching the actual beach at their own cost. That means no walls for the privileged and no bringing sand in from wherever which can be very harmful to everyone and animals. And yes for once I agree with Hawaiian politicians – managed retreat! And the sooner the better. Otherwise you;l be seeing more homes and properties collapsing into the ocean as we’ve seen in Florida and many places around the world.
So DLNR is going to take tax dollars it gets from private properties and use it to only protect state and county owned beaches? Sounds like taxation without representation to me.
And for BOH to say there was no beach erosion 60 years ago, that erosion started only 15 years ago sounds kind of ignorant.
Hmmmmmm. Well, this may not come as a surprise, considering the recent comments made about over tourism and haoles taking over and trashing the lands. But, be ready for ‘what you ask for’. I always find it ironic when virtually no one gripes when celebrities and megabucks types buy up the land for their private enclaves, but tourists, who actually provide the means for many to have jobs, are vilified. Yes, there are some tourists who should stay away, but I think the majority behave themselves. We shall see where this all leads to. Hopefully it will have a ‘happy ending’ for the Hawaiians, if not for the visitors.
Tourists spending Lots of Money are Bad, A Few Wealthy People that buy lots of property and don’t spend much Money are Good, that’s exactly what Hawaiians are Saying. What about Everything that Tourists Money Supports in Hawaii, is that Bad Too? The Wealthy, Alone, don’t spend enough money to keep even one small Island supported properly but They’re Good. The Education System in Hawaii certainly is Lacking and Common Sense was Spent a long time ago, never to return!
$10 M was paid by the state and by the condos. Those condo fees were tacked on to the owners. If the state is going to do an about-face, what happened to the money that the condo contributed? If that’s the case, we, the condo members, want our money back, immediately. Thanks.
Just another example of how our politicians are more concerned about local votes than what makes sense financially for the County and State. Has anyone calculated how many dollars in visitor taxes are raised by the 500,000 + people who visit Kaanapali beach? Tourists from all over the Island visit that beach. Not just those staying there. How many $$$$ are spent in restaurants and shops there! I remember when American Factors built that resort center and golf courses.
We are making a big mistake in not maintaining the properties there.
So let’s look at the optics! 500000 visitors times about 300 dollars per day (car room food tours) = hundreds of millions of dollars!!!! What is the problem! Where are all of the tax’s going for this amount of money! Wake up and fix your cash cow before it’s to late! Now
It seems contradictory to say at one point that restoring the sand will prevent erosion issues for 15 years, and then say that they have done studies of other restoration projects that indicate that it won’t help at all. Which one is it?
The “truth” seems to change depending on which way the wind is blowing at the moment.
I do not understand the philosophy behind ‘managed retreat’ when it comes to non-movable buildings with construction costs of hundreds of millions of dollars that are the primary driver of the economy.
Sea level rise will eventually flood the buildings, but this could forestall that. In much the same way that weather will destroy any building, you need to maintain it. Painting a house will not last forever, but we still do it. Beach nourishment can periodically be done to keep the buildings and the economy running. Use the money generated to pay for moving buildings/homes/roads/infrastructure that can be moved. The sand has been moving for eons, artificially doing it isn’t that different.
Has Anyone seen, up close, the erosive North Shore of Oahu? Perhaps other coastal areas that have, or are beginning to, lose the battle caused by the natural effects of tidal erosion on any Island of Hawaii? It’s Devastating! In certain instances beaches can be resanded to give time to rebuild, others are too far gone. Whether Commercial or Residential, the owners need time to prepare when possible. DNLR is Responsible to mitigate, they’ve allowed many structures to be built in known harms way. Stop playing games, devise planning and implement to reduce problems. Waikiki is resanded often!
It is actually quite simple. You can either put it up on jacks, a whole lot of jacks because some of the buildings are 10+ story masonry structures, and then drive the thing they move rockets with under it and drive it back a few hundred feet. Or you can dismantle it and put it back together elsewhere. Easy peasy.
I have a question…how many of the properties that are being directly affected have timeshare on their property, and how will the people who own those timeshare be affected? And, what kind of “planned retreat” could these resorts possible come up with other than shut down and tear down? It’s not like they are tents that can be folded up and easily moved. To me, this sounds like another attempt to keep visitors away from the islands. You also mention the Kaanapali Resort was built “before beach erosion”. So, I guess there were no high tides or storms that affected the beaches prior to the resort being built? Interesting.
The DLNR is stalling to the detriment of everyone, the Agreement should stand and the sand reclamation to the beach begin. Listening to the complaining public input which is mostly from the Vocal Minority will simply Forward Their Agendas to the detriment of everyone else. The Hotel/Resort Industry will benefit just as much as the public, the downside is that they know eventually they’ll need to move further back due to the erosion. A “plan of action” with impact studies should begin Now and have a filing timeline. It’s imminent, but exactly when must building commence, 2056? DNLR needs to Comply with the Agreement, 50% is better than 100%.
I live in an Beach community that requires beach renourishment to maintain business that drives our economy. Will “they” who cancelled this project be happy to promote failing tourism? It seems there is an effort to “cancel tourism”.
Yes, you’ve got it. All of these actions (exorbitant fees, extremely high taxes on accommodations, proposed “visitor tax”, new parking fees, and actually out-and-out asking visitors not to come) are all efforts to reduce, or even eliminate, tourism. It is stated in each individual Island Plan that this is a goal. It’s not even open to interpretation. It’s what the Hawaiians want, and I suppose we will have to see if the resulting reduction of the major source of revenue on the islands will turn out as desired.
From all appearances, it isn’t working yet! There are more visitors than ever. So I predict they will keep raising, limiting, denying, badmouthing, etc. until it finally has an effect.
Hi PatG! Even though they have outlined a plan to reduce/eliminate tourism as an ultimate goal, it is a short-term solution for the Politicians to retain their offices. They have to produce on their promises to the voters, once done it will be reversed. The New Construction isn’t for Affordable Housing and they have no plans of allowing it to be empty. It’s Amazing that not many Hawaiians realize this. I see a Giant “Bell Curve” within 4 Years to Hawaiian Discourse!
10 million is nothing compared to the rail . The dredging equipment has already been used successfully in Waikiki.
And on that note, will they Stop resanding Waikiki Beaches? If not, why choose Some Beaches over Others, is there a Political Motivation? Everything in Hawaii turns out to be Politically Motivated, they are the “mouthpieces” for the Hotel/Resort/Timeshare Industry. More going on than meets the eye. To believe that the industry doesn’t know that they need to move buildings is showing a lack of intelligence. They have long term plans to do so.
I think this is a great decision. Now if Oahu County would stop granting exceptions for the repair, expansion, and building of Seawalls especially for the rich and famous ie the Obama Estate.
I am thankful my tax payments may/will not go to this project. I’d rather the tax funds go to further protect our beaches by solving the unhoused issues and cleaning up our beach garbage and encampments. Perhaps even providing sanitation stations in order to protect the wildlife and beaches.
Mahalo!
Start a GoFund me for these repairs!
The walking path is an essential part of the local experience.
The beach erosion began only after the land was developed. Solution? Return the land to its natural state! Remove the resorts!
It is indeed the time to make this decision to respect what is best for the coastal environment there. Honoring the health of nature and the wishes of most of the local population rather than continuing to pander to and invest in significant state funds in high end business profits is the right choice for Maui nei. Mahalo to the DLNR for a bold and necessary move respecting land and locals. Mahalo.helen
Frank, Hawaii is carrying a large debt load that is increasing year over year, the State can keep throwing money into the hole of problems attempting to subsidize, but to what end? The Federal Government isn’t going to continue subsidizing Bad Behaviors, Hawaii isn’t California. Sometime in the near past Hawaii actually sold their Only Real Monetized Commodity, their Aloha is gone. With that removed from the negotiating table they have Nothing left to Leverage. Soon Hawaii will be Forced to Fix Their Own Problems, the Fed could do it!
Everyone is making good points, but am I wrong in assuming that the Timeshares, Resorts and Privately owned places at the Alli have all paid $$ and taxes towards this? What is going to happen to those dollars that have been collected? Will they go the way of all the $$ that are collected in Hawaii for who knows what?
When tourism declines on one of the most famous beaches in the world because of the beach erosion, the powers that be will miss the tourists’ $$ and all the tax dollars.
Thank you. As someone who lives in a coastal area of the Continental U.S. that enjoys the hundreds of millions of dollars per year left behind by tourists (which reduces my tax bill Tremendously) . . . this may come back to bite someone in the b#tt.
What is Hawaii thinking?
Kaanapali Beach is also the Drowning Capital of Hawaii. There are no life guards. Pretty sad that the resorts and state doesn’t do anything about it.
Great post Carl.
Hawaii averages around 85 drownings a year.
On Kauai and Maui 75% of the deaths are tourists.
Almost seems they don’t care if tourists die?
Is that right, Carl? I own MMOC Napili tower & have spent months on K Beach over the years. Seen a number of sad drownings in the Maui News, but in my observation, South Maui has had lots of drownings, as well as up around Honolua.
I live in South Maui and last week I drove up to see how Kaanapali Beach looked. Instead of a narrow strip of sand the beach in front of K. Alii it was wider than any other stretch of the beach. Sands constantly shift with the seasons and winter storms are becoming more severe. That is the way nature works. Personally, I am pleased that DLNR has decided not to waste any more tax dollars on this losing battle—unfortunate as it may be.
Had developers, back in the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s, consulted with local Hawaiians, wise in the ways of the ocean, they would have been advised to build those hotels and condos much further back from the shoreline. Instead, they competed to be as close to the water as possible. Don’t back down DLNR!
It’s a well known fact that everyone wants to be close to the beach and ocean, hotels and resorts have provided that for over 60 years. “Real Hawaiians” were Consulted and even in most instances helped construct the buildings, just as they did throughout the Islands. People are often quick to judgment and rarely consider what occurred vs what is the “popular fantasy” of the moment, drama seems to perpetuate itself quickly. It’s more popular to Criticize than Factualize, why not Blame those officials that Permitted the locations? Is it because they were all of Hawaiian Decent! Investment and Return is often what the Islanders back then saw most, Dollars to Save a Waning Culture from disappearing. The Good and Bad, all in One
The initial agreement was negotiated 10 years ago, and the resorts have been working towards that. Now they get told that they have lost 10 years in making any alternate plans, everything they have been working towards could be thrown away.
I have no problem with the state putting conditions, such as making this the last time that replenishment would be allowed – so the resorts know to plan towards other solutions. But changing direction at this point on the original plan blindsides those involved, causing chaos and uncertainty.
I was blessed to enjoy my first trips on Maui in the early 70’s and through to last trip in 2016. But I remember exactly in 1986 looking around the island and seeing homes and condos, and hotels popping up everywhere there was beautiful greenscape. I came back to the Mainland and after careful thought, wrote a letter to the then Mayor Linda Lingle, and promised her that I would Never move to Maui in order to help preserve this beautiful land. I am only one person, obviously not enough of me’s to keep this island from becoming Hell in a handbasket. I have one more trip in my lifetime and it has been stressful to plan with social media haters, horror stories about car rentals, and the exhorabant price increase.
Thanks you for the information. We just booked out Maui vacation for the fall and are staying at Kaanapali beach hotel. I hope there is a beach there when we get there
The only nice thing about Kaanapali is the view. The entire stretch of the cost is overcrowded, and half of that three mile stretch is very hard for swimming due to very rocky bottom. Too commercial and lacks most of what makes Hawai’i a paradise. I could never understand why such high ratings. There are so many much nicer beaches in Hawai’i, including Maui.
Unbelievable that they will just let the shoreline wash away these beautiful resorts. Common sense is not seen in Hawaii right now. Do they expect these multi million dollars resorts will just be left to fall in the ocean.
What a convenient way to get rid of large corporations that the government can’t afford to push out so they’re going to let nature take them out and then I’m sure that DLNR will be more than happy to scoop up the cheap or free land and do anything they want with it including restoring the beaches! This is nothing new and it’s hardly sneaky, everybody knows how this all works. Just keep an eye on their & their friends & relatives bank accounts years from now…
What is the beach in front of the Alii like. Going there in May. Hear no cabana’s on the beach
Bill, it’s really bad in front of the Ali’i. I own next door at Marriott Ocean Club. I haven’t seen it since the high tide event, but it took out a number of palms along the beach walk, and the concrete of
The sidewalk is literally hanging in multiple places where the sand has been washed from Beneath. You should be able to search for video footage of the erosion. I saw one a while back but don’t recall the link.
We were just there. The path is gone. You can walk on the beach to continue on your walk or take a detour down near the main road to reconnect with the walkway.
There is no beach unless you walk we drove to another beach
Kaanapali Beach will eventually get restored, but the open question is who will pay for it. Could this be a financial game of chicken between Hawaii DNR and the dozens of large hotels and condos that abut this shore?
For the uninitiated, Kaanapali is a perfectly fine west Maui Beach,but its rank among the world’s finest is a delusion of its boosters.
DLNR has gone wacko. You can’t move 12 story buildings away from the beach. You can abandon them, fire all of the local employees, shut down businesses and cut off a very steady and needed flow of tax dollars to both the county and state governments.
Sand restoration was allowed and successful at Waikiki just a few years ago. It’s not just Kaanapali that needs restoration but more so DLNR.
These people are a true danger to our society.
What makes Waikiki’s restoration so farcical is that it and Ala Moana used to be swamps. They are man made beaches and we paid millions to create and millions to restore yet DNLR and environmentalists are silent about them.
Each of us has the prerogative to ignore what scientists say. But, as the actual sea level rises and more intense storms chip away at coastal infrastructure, one must accept that replacing sand cannot save beaches today, as it did years ago. Beaches will move more inland where natural landscape permits. It’s not that it’s going to happen, it is happening. Forward thinking solves problems. Hindsight can be painful. Mahalo.
I will always remember the beauty of Kaanipali beach, the cliff divers, rainbows and music from the resorts. So glad I experienced this many years ago. Is there still a beach?
Mary,
Yes, there surely is. The sunsets are wonderful too.
Enjoy now, soon that beach is gone.
So glad I saw the beautiful Kaanapali beach on my honeymoon in 1984, was planning to return next year.
Good, let the condos and hotels use their profits to pay for it. Tired of them capitalizing their profits and socializing their costs to us.
Aren’t they also paying taxes, including the guests and the employees working there? The best answer would be for them to Not pay any taxes if they’re not gonna get a benefit. Taxation without any promise of services is outright theft and extortion.
Life is full of choices for your tourist dollars. Our annual trip to Hawaii is now morphing into flying into HNL to then head out of Hawaii to more friendly islands. Wholeheartedly agree with the comments that the average tourist is being charged more for less by the government of Hawaii. Meanwhile the jet-setter celebs who were unaffected by the pandemic and contributed little to Hawaii tourism while they helicopter into their Hawaiian mega-mansions are being fawned over by the locals. What’s next, requests for even more economic bailout from the state of Hawaii?
I wouldn’t be too sure jet-setter celebs are being fawned over by locals, at least not without being compensated for it. Fawning isn’t cheap.
“Managed Retreat”…have these people seen Kauai or Ni’ihau or better yet Nihoa? Without shoreline protection/restoration, the forces of nature will turn our islands into uninhabitable rocks. It doesn’t become a problem till it is affecting the Government’s or elected officials’ interests. Has anyone seen the seawalls at Sand Island, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, Honolulu International Airport, the list goes on. Every one of those are re-enforced. How do you stop erosion, you restore it. Visit Asia and Middle East, they are not just restoring but building out. Our leaders lack vision, creativity, and practicality.
So the state will spend millions on advertising, but zero on The Best Beach?
Nah, they won’t be spending millions on advertising anymore. They are disbanding the Hawaii Tourism Authority and putting it under the government Office of Destination Management. Yet another thing Hawaii is doing in their efforts to thwart tourism. “We have enough tourists already, we don’t need to advertise” is the rationale.
Hawaii has, and will always be a place of change. I don’t think it’s possible that money in the long run can make any meaningful change. We need to learn to work with what Hawaii gives us.
It simply means relocate the hotels, etc. Build new or use existing inland properties. Not sure what happens to the existing shoreline properties – knock them down, probably.
How do these properties retreat from the eroding shoreline. Do they pick up their buildings and move them back? I don’t understand what they are suggesting.
Due to the Negligence of the Plannin and Zoning Officials these Buildings/Structures/Resorts/Hotels/ Timeshares will need to be Reconstructed much further from the Ocean and the Existing must be torn down. Imagine the Amounts of Money that it will take to do all of this. Beach Erosion has been present ever since there was a Beach and Waves, it didn’t just appear suddenly. This is ridiculous but remember that it is Hawaii.
My good friend is a very prominent Geologist with a very successful environmental remediation/testing company. It is called Nature friends ! He tells me that Mother Nature has been moving, shaking, changing since Creation ie. Ice age, Stone Age, Dinosaurs, more currently the US Dust Bowl etc… Ancient Hawaiians did not build permanent homes on the beach, as they knew better as waves, currents, and ocean rises and fall over Millennium. Nature did not create this problem…Developers did.
Beach erosion and shoreline changes have been occuring for many thousands of years. This is not news! Those who build on the shores should be aware of this ever changing oceanic environment. Thus these temporary and new beachside entities need to be willing to protect their properties without touching the actual beach at their own cost. That means no walls for the privileged and no bringing sand in from wherever which can be very harmful to everyone and animals. And yes for once I agree with Hawaiian politicians – managed retreat! And the sooner the better. Otherwise you;l be seeing more homes and properties collapsing into the ocean as we’ve seen in Florida and many places around the world.
Tax dollars and services will erode! Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Ridiculously poor governance!
So DLNR is going to take tax dollars it gets from private properties and use it to only protect state and county owned beaches? Sounds like taxation without representation to me.
And for BOH to say there was no beach erosion 60 years ago, that erosion started only 15 years ago sounds kind of ignorant.
Hmmmmmm. Well, this may not come as a surprise, considering the recent comments made about over tourism and haoles taking over and trashing the lands. But, be ready for ‘what you ask for’. I always find it ironic when virtually no one gripes when celebrities and megabucks types buy up the land for their private enclaves, but tourists, who actually provide the means for many to have jobs, are vilified. Yes, there are some tourists who should stay away, but I think the majority behave themselves. We shall see where this all leads to. Hopefully it will have a ‘happy ending’ for the Hawaiians, if not for the visitors.
Tourists spending Lots of Money are Bad, A Few Wealthy People that buy lots of property and don’t spend much Money are Good, that’s exactly what Hawaiians are Saying. What about Everything that Tourists Money Supports in Hawaii, is that Bad Too? The Wealthy, Alone, don’t spend enough money to keep even one small Island supported properly but They’re Good. The Education System in Hawaii certainly is Lacking and Common Sense was Spent a long time ago, never to return!
$10 M was paid by the state and by the condos. Those condo fees were tacked on to the owners. If the state is going to do an about-face, what happened to the money that the condo contributed? If that’s the case, we, the condo members, want our money back, immediately. Thanks.
Wow!
Just another example of how our politicians are more concerned about local votes than what makes sense financially for the County and State. Has anyone calculated how many dollars in visitor taxes are raised by the 500,000 + people who visit Kaanapali beach? Tourists from all over the Island visit that beach. Not just those staying there. How many $$$$ are spent in restaurants and shops there! I remember when American Factors built that resort center and golf courses.
We are making a big mistake in not maintaining the properties there.
Aloha
So let’s look at the optics! 500000 visitors times about 300 dollars per day (car room food tours) = hundreds of millions of dollars!!!! What is the problem! Where are all of the tax’s going for this amount of money! Wake up and fix your cash cow before it’s to late! Now
It seems contradictory to say at one point that restoring the sand will prevent erosion issues for 15 years, and then say that they have done studies of other restoration projects that indicate that it won’t help at all. Which one is it?
The “truth” seems to change depending on which way the wind is blowing at the moment.
Mahalo for following these developments.
I do not understand the philosophy behind ‘managed retreat’ when it comes to non-movable buildings with construction costs of hundreds of millions of dollars that are the primary driver of the economy.
Sea level rise will eventually flood the buildings, but this could forestall that. In much the same way that weather will destroy any building, you need to maintain it. Painting a house will not last forever, but we still do it. Beach nourishment can periodically be done to keep the buildings and the economy running. Use the money generated to pay for moving buildings/homes/roads/infrastructure that can be moved. The sand has been moving for eons, artificially doing it isn’t that different.
Has Anyone seen, up close, the erosive North Shore of Oahu? Perhaps other coastal areas that have, or are beginning to, lose the battle caused by the natural effects of tidal erosion on any Island of Hawaii? It’s Devastating! In certain instances beaches can be resanded to give time to rebuild, others are too far gone. Whether Commercial or Residential, the owners need time to prepare when possible. DNLR is Responsible to mitigate, they’ve allowed many structures to be built in known harms way. Stop playing games, devise planning and implement to reduce problems. Waikiki is resanded often!
How do these properties “retreat” from the eroding shoreline? Is there any info on that?
It is actually quite simple. You can either put it up on jacks, a whole lot of jacks because some of the buildings are 10+ story masonry structures, and then drive the thing they move rockets with under it and drive it back a few hundred feet. Or you can dismantle it and put it back together elsewhere. Easy peasy.
I have a question…how many of the properties that are being directly affected have timeshare on their property, and how will the people who own those timeshare be affected? And, what kind of “planned retreat” could these resorts possible come up with other than shut down and tear down? It’s not like they are tents that can be folded up and easily moved. To me, this sounds like another attempt to keep visitors away from the islands. You also mention the Kaanapali Resort was built “before beach erosion”. So, I guess there were no high tides or storms that affected the beaches prior to the resort being built? Interesting.
The DLNR is stalling to the detriment of everyone, the Agreement should stand and the sand reclamation to the beach begin. Listening to the complaining public input which is mostly from the Vocal Minority will simply Forward Their Agendas to the detriment of everyone else. The Hotel/Resort Industry will benefit just as much as the public, the downside is that they know eventually they’ll need to move further back due to the erosion. A “plan of action” with impact studies should begin Now and have a filing timeline. It’s imminent, but exactly when must building commence, 2056? DNLR needs to Comply with the Agreement, 50% is better than 100%.
I live in an Beach community that requires beach renourishment to maintain business that drives our economy. Will “they” who cancelled this project be happy to promote failing tourism? It seems there is an effort to “cancel tourism”.
Yes, you’ve got it. All of these actions (exorbitant fees, extremely high taxes on accommodations, proposed “visitor tax”, new parking fees, and actually out-and-out asking visitors not to come) are all efforts to reduce, or even eliminate, tourism. It is stated in each individual Island Plan that this is a goal. It’s not even open to interpretation. It’s what the Hawaiians want, and I suppose we will have to see if the resulting reduction of the major source of revenue on the islands will turn out as desired.
From all appearances, it isn’t working yet! There are more visitors than ever. So I predict they will keep raising, limiting, denying, badmouthing, etc. until it finally has an effect.
Hi PatG! Even though they have outlined a plan to reduce/eliminate tourism as an ultimate goal, it is a short-term solution for the Politicians to retain their offices. They have to produce on their promises to the voters, once done it will be reversed. The New Construction isn’t for Affordable Housing and they have no plans of allowing it to be empty. It’s Amazing that not many Hawaiians realize this. I see a Giant “Bell Curve” within 4 Years to Hawaiian Discourse!