Kualoa Ranch returned to the Honolulu Planning Commission on Wednesday seeking approval to lift restrictions on its operations to complete an expansion plan that has been in play for seven years — but the Windward Oahu agricultural center and tourist attraction is going to have to wait a while longer.
The planning commission voted to continue the public hearing to a later date because a new permitting wrinkle, and lots of public testimony, prevented commissioners from having time to deliberate before the Mission Memorial Auditorium’s 4:30 p.m. closure. The next hearing date is not yet available; however, the commission said it would issue another public notice and would accept further public testimony.
The ranch, which is known for its recreational activities and scenic tours, has long been seeking a state special use permit for four sites, which encompass approximately 13.9 acres, including Kualoa Ranch headquarters, the entrance to the former military site Battery Cooper, Paliku and Moli‘i Gardens.
John Morgan, Kualoa Ranch general manager and president, said the ranch’s permit application dates back to 2018 and has been in the planning stages since 2016. He testified that the ranch’s plans for its headquarters include building a new visitor center, expanding a parking lot, creating new horse stables, adding a farmers market venue as well as three new tour depots, two new administration offices, and an employee building.
Morgan said no improvements have been proposed for Battery Cooper. However, the ranch is seeking permission for vehicle staging and parking for a movie exhibit at the site. He said no improvements have been proposed for Paliku Pavilion and Gardens. However, the ranch wants to continue existing events such as weddings that use the existing pavilion, restrooms and parking. Morgan added that the same is true of Moli‘i Gardens.
The proposed special use permit, if approved, will supersede an existing permit that was initially approved in 1985 when the ranch was a relatively small tourist attraction on land zoned for agriculture.The new permit would allow the ranch to conduct uses not normally permitted in the State Land Use Agricultural District so that it can financially support the maintenance and expansion of agricultural operations and preserve its open spaces and green landscape.
Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting already has determined that the ranch’s plans meet the five approval guidelines for special use permit approval as well as state law. But the planning commission has the responsibility to act on the conditional approval recommended by Dawn Takeuchi Apuna, director designate for Honolulu DPP.
Apuna’s Feb. 3 report recommended permit approval upon completion of 13 conditions, ranging from banning large special events of 500 or more and restricting weddings and private events to not more than one per day, not to exceed five per week. She also limited hours of operation at Moli‘i Gardens to 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily with no more than 100 guests; and restricted operations at Paliku Gardens and Ranch House Pavilion and Garden to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily with no more than 200 guests.
Apuna’s conditional approval also required the ranch to pursue special management area permits for Moli‘i Gardens and Battery Cooper, and obtain a major or minor modification to its circa 1985 conditional use permit to reflect current levels of operation.
Debate over DPP’s permit recommendations and how to process them ultimately caused the commission hearing to run long and create another delay for Kualoa Ranch.
At the start of the hearing, DPP Planning Division Chief Dina Wong told the planning commission that the department “learned just yesterday from discussions with our corporation counsel that the sequencing of permit approvals for the proposed improvement is incorrect.We should be processing the special management area permit first, followed by the special use permit, and then the conditional use permit.”
Wong asked the commission to keep the public hearing open, but to postpone decision making until after the ranch had obtained its special management area permit, which she said could be processed in about 45 days.
But Jeff Overton, principal planner with Honolulu design firm G70, said, “I think we are looking at four to six months,” since the ranch still has work to do before it can submit a special management area application.
Ranch legal counsel Christopher Goodin asked the commission to bifurcate the special use permit by ruling on the headquarters and Paliku Gardens portions of the application. But Wong and DPP’s Brandon Soo argued against separating the application, which could result in two different decisions and orders.
Morgan said the operational impact of waiting would delay completion of the ranch headquarters.
“I’m just uncomfortable with another open-ended process,” he said.
Planning Commissioner Nathaniel Kinney pressed DPP on its recommendation to extend Kualoa Ranch’s already lengthy permit process.
“It’s not like a huge structure. It’s not like a hotel. We are talking about some very kind of minor things, and I’m wondering like how much longer are we going to drag these guys through it,” Kinney said.
Soo said Kualoa Ranch submitted its application in 2018, and “we’ve been rejecting it every year because of the issues with the application.”
Apuna’s conditional approval is potentially a major step forward for the ranch’s expansion plan. However, some North Shore and windward residents have raised concerns that the new plan would represent a major departure from the previous special use permit, which was initially approved in 1985 to create a relatively small tourist attraction on land zoned for agriculture.
Lillie Makaila, who was among more than a half-dozen testifiers, said, “One instance that is missing in this discussion is that the petitioner has continually expanded their operations exponentially without any regard for the conditions of their existing SUP and CUP since they received it in 1985, and operations have gone unchecked for the past 40 years and the community has not had an opportunity to come before city and county and the planning commission to discuss some of the major issues that are impacting both land and people in that area.”
Originally, the roughly 4,000-acre ranch sought to diversify beyond raising cattle, horseback rides and crop farming as a way to generate additional revenue and keep the ranch running and in the hands of descendants of Gerrit P. Judd, who purchased the property from King Kamehameha III in 1850.
The city Planning Commission approved a special use permit in 1985 that allowed outdoor recreational activities including all-terrain vehicle rides, paintball games, target shooting, helicopter tours, scuba diving, jet-skiing, sailing and windsurfing.
Ranch representatives at the time offered to limit operations to 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday to avoid worsening rush-hour traffic and said the “activity club” would be for 20 to 100 guests each weekday. Also, the ranch proposed 10 to 20 all-terrain vehicles for guided trail tours. But the ranch’s operations evolved over time.
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Star-Advertiser reporter Andrew Gomes contributed to this story.
