Summary
The committee amended and reported out Resolution 25-5207, a special management area major permit for redevelopment of the Cove at Ko'olina (Paradise Cove site); the developer presented renderings and job and tax estimates, and the committee modified archaeological conditions to rely on a monitoring plan and stop‑work protocols.
The Committee on Zoning and Planning amended and reported out Resolution 25-5207 on Thursday, granting a special management area (SMA) major permit to Cove Campbell Kobayashi LLC for the redevelopment of the Cove property at 92-1089 Aliinui Drive in Ko'olina. The amended hand‑carried CD1 deletes several specific conditions and replaces them with an archaeological monitoring plan and stop‑work protocols to address historic and cultural resource impacts.
Matt Carras (presented as "Matt Carras" with the James Campbell Company) described the project as an 11‑acre redevelopment to transform the site — long leased to Paradise Cove — into a community‑oriented cultural and economic resource. The project would demolish 23 existing buildings, retain two wedding chapel buildings, and construct 11 buildings and 4 structures including an outdoor performing arts amphitheater, restaurants, retail village walk, support buildings for luau operations, and accessory structures. Carras said the design emphasizes cultural programming, public beach access improvements, and preserved open space.
Project technical details disclosed to the committee include: a previously certified shoreline survey from 2021 (waived for a new survey because all buildings are mauka of the regulatory 60‑foot shoreline setback plus 15 feet); an archaeological inventory survey (2024) that identified human skeletal remains and a burial preserve area; a submitted burial site data recovery and preservation plan currently under review by the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD); and that roughly 25% of the project site is within the modeled 3.2‑foot sea level rise exposure area by 2100, which affects some outdoor dining areas and restaurant structures.
The committee accepted the administration’s proposed hand‑carried CD1, which deletes certain earlier conditions (f1, f2, f4) but requires the applicant to prepare and submit an archaeological monitoring plan to SHPD and to implement stop‑work protocols if unidentified archaeological resources are encountered during construction. The CD1 also includes protocols for imported structural fill to reduce invasive species risk and confirms the project will proceed through a concurrent conditional use permit for outdoor amusement uses in the B‑1 district.
Labor and construction representatives provided substantial public testimony in support. Peter Ganaban, business manager for International Union of Operating Engineers Local 368, told the committee the project would create “870 construction jobs and 500 long‑term jobs,” and noted union members and retirees are investors in the project. Other union and industry speakers voiced support for local employment benefits and apprenticeship opportunities.
The chair recommended, and the committee ordered, the resolution amended to the hand‑carried CD1 and reported the resolution out for adoption. No formal roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript; the chair announced the amendment and the report‑out, and heard no objections.
Next steps: The resolution proceeds toward adoption by the full Council under the committee’s recommendation. The applicant will be required to supply the archaeological monitoring plan and obtain SHPD acceptance before or during construction as stipulated in the amended conditions.
