The Kauai County Council unanimously passed a resolution requesting that Grove Farm withdraw eviction notices to Koloa Camp tenants and explore alternatives.

Council members voted 7-0 Wednesday on the resolution. Two weeks ago the state Senate passed a similar resolution, asking the landowner to put a hold on the notices.

In November, Grove Farm issued eviction notices to 13 Koloa Camp tenants, demanding they leave the property by March 8 to make way for Waihohonu, a proposed residential housing subdivision of up to 50 units. The landowner recently extended the notice for 30 days, giving the remaining tenants until Easter to vacate.

About a dozen people testified during the Council meeting, including some tenants supporting the resolution, according to Kepa Kruse, who was raised at Koloa Camp.

One alternative proposed is to move the project to an agriculturally zoned parcel along Ala Kinoiki Road on the opposite side of Koloa Camp. Grove Farm officials had said the parcel is not large enough to build the number of homes they are aiming for, and rezoning would not meet their timeline for the project while home loan rates are at a record low.

Another alternative was a proposal by local developer Peter Savio, who recently offered to buy the land and sell the homes back to tenants, the same way he assisted Poamoho Camp tenants on Oahu in 2004. Grove Farm rejected his offer.

During the meeting, Grove Farm project manager David Hinazumi testified the company has looked at alternatives and will proceed with the plan.

"There’s been people in the community that have expressed that they cannot find single-family housing," a problem that Waihohonu would address, he said.