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Council committee amends and advances SMA permit for Barber's Point subsea cable landing
Summary
The committee amended Resolution 26-165 to CD1 and reported it out for adoption, approving a special management area major permit for landing three Transpacific subsea fiber cables at Barber's Point Beach Park with conditions on archaeological monitoring, endangered species protections, and a community benefit package.
The Committee on Zoning and Planning amended and reported out Resolution 26-165, which grants a special management area (SMA) major permit to Starfish Infrastructure, Inc. and Humu Humu Services, LLC for the landing of three Transpacific subsea fiber optic cables and installation of six cable landing pipes at Barber's Point Beach Park and the shoreline setback.
Applicant representative Jojo Acebo summarized the Pacific Connect project and said the proposed work uses horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to minimize surface disturbance. The project footprint affects an approximately 7.39-acre shoreline parcel and will route underground through existing public road rights-of-way for about 5.3 miles to a cable landing station on the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu campus. Offshore punch-outs were described at distances of approximately 4,300 to 5,300 feet and seabed depths of roughly 50 to 75 feet; HDD will start about 3 feet deep and progress to about 100 feet below the ocean floor before exiting offshore.
The committee considered proposed CD1 amendments that add standard conditions: archaeological and cultural protections (including requirements to submit an archaeological monitoring plan and acceptances from the State Historic Preservation Division), species-protection measures requiring work to stop if monk seals or listed sea turtles enter the 150-foot work buffer, and other mitigation to minimize invasive species spread and protect cultural resources. The applicant said they are negotiating a community benefit package with Budget and Fiscal Services, anticipate AIS concurrence in the coming weeks, and expect to begin construction in September or October with the first cable landing targeted for the first half of next year.
Council members asked about facility size and operations; the applicant said the lease area is 4 acres with a 2-acre building footprint and that the site is a transport/telecommunications facility rather than a large data center. Community commenters emphasized the value of including a local cultural monitor for archaeological monitoring plans. After no objections, the committee amended the resolution to CD1 and ordered it reported out for adoption to the full council.
