Residents of Hawaii’s Kaua‘i County expressed their support of a bill’s amendment which would limit most commercial camping opportunities in non-resort-zoned areas.
According to a report, the council on Wednesday heard testimony from residents who spoke in support of Bill No. 2838. It would define campsites that are undeveloped or developed as well as the zones in which they could be considered acceptable.
A fully-developed campground, complete with permanent structures and bathrooms that can be used for commercial use for a short period, could only be permitted on resort-zoned areas.
Starwood Capital Group is seeking permission for a proposed 50-tent glamping facility on the three holes on the Woods Course within the Makai Golf Course on an open-zoned land. After more than a year of discussions, the plan will be subject to its first official agency hearing before the Planning Commission on December 14.
Although there’s no language in the legislation to single out the project, the timing and the discussions about the bill have toed the line in the past, with the Planning Director Ka’aina Hull calling the proposal “the elephant in the room” during previous Planning Commission meetings while the bill was being developed.
The bill was first proposed in April by Council Vice-Chair Mason Chock and Councilmember Luke Evslin. It has garnered island-wide support, with residents pointing to the potential loss of open space and land zoned to agriculture as a major issue.
The bill was sent to the Council’s Planning Committee, which will review the measure within two weeks. If council members approve the measure at its December 1 meeting, it will be submitted to Mayor Derek Kawakami for signing into law. If it is signed prior to the December 14 Planning Commission meeting, it would end the plan, as residents have indicated.
As Starwood has been engaging with the community and holding Q&A sessions, the company has been met with harsh criticism from locals.
“Commercial develop campgrounds have become a thinly disguised path for resort expansion on open space,” Lorraine Mull said Wednesday to the council.
In a written report to the council, Sam George, Princeville at Hanalei Community Association board president, emphasized how controversial the project is.
“PHCA’s diverse members hold different opinions regarding Starwood’s proposed glamping project,” George wrote. “Some—including Starwood which is a PHCA member—support the glamping proposal. Others strongly oppose it.”
Without indicating any kind of stamp of approval or opposition to the bill, George declared that the dialogue “should continue.”
“How open-space land should be used is a significant issue that impacts the future of Kaua’i, including, specifically, the Princeville community,” George said.