So what happened at yesterday’s BLNR meeting where community based I Ola Wailuanui was competing with Utah based developer RP21 for use/control over two state parcels connected to the proposed Coco Palms resort development?
The Utah developer won of course.
What was surprising was that BLNR Chair Dawn Chang spoke in support of community-based I Ola Wailuanui while BLNR Kauaʻi Member Karen Ono supported the Utah developers RP21.
Surprising and not surprising I suppose.
There were of course arguments made on both sides. Unfortunately BLNR Kauaʻi Member Karen Ono embraced the Utah developers words and promises, and rejected those made by the Kauaʻi based I Ola Wailuanui. She seemed to especially focus on an administrative error by the community nonprofit in failing to file an annual report due to a mix-up in mailing addresses – while ignoring pages and pages of testimony attesting to the developers failure to obtain grading and grubbing permits, trespassing on state lands without the appropriate permits or lease, an ongoing DLNR investigation into the developer’s illegal dumping/grading/grubbing on conservation zoned lands…and so much more including being cited and fined by the Department of Health – Clean Water Branch, over their failure to secure an important NPDES permit (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System).
So at the end of the day when the motions were made BLNR Kauaʻi Member Karen Ono threw her support behind the Utah developers and a majority of the BLNR members deferred to her. The Chair of the BLNR Dawn Chang and Oahu member Aimee Barnes both voted no against the motion made by Kauaʻi Member Karen Ono. But the motion prevailed with a 4 yes, 2 no, and 1 abstention vote (“At Large member” Kaiwi Yoon).
As to next steps…there is no shortage of options and many minds focused on a common purpose are currently working on this. All I know, and the creed I live by is to #neverneverquit
Community members who want to join in support of I Ola Wailuanui should go to https://www.wailuanui.org/ – To be clear, there will be “next steps” and future calls to action and help will be needed…so please join and help!
For more info here is my testimony on the issue: https://garyhooser.blog/2024/04/25/testimony-for-april-26-2024-agenda-item-d-1-re-coco-palms-disposal-of-state-land-leases/
Here is a YouTube Video of the hearing starts about 1:52 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpnJ8CNIRbg
GaryHooser's Blog 
Gary not sure if my comment made it into the system but I had this to say: Would be surprised if Kaui Yoon voted yes on this. (4 to 2 vote implies one absence?) He’s been one of the more outspoken commissioners of late and helpful on the AQ issue. My take on Dawn is that she knows all the right talk for kanaka values and claims to be a ‘process’ person but eventually ties herself in ‘process’ knots to the extent that she capitulates to the ‘higher powers’ in any important contest. Go figure!
Rob Culbertson
There was one “abstention” that might have been him…I’ll check
Yes Kaiwi Yoon abstained
Well, one can perhaps read into this the old game of conserving your chits, so as not to create discord with a fellow commissioner.. whose support he might need later. 😉 Thanks for that detail.
Rob Culbertson
Karen Ono is a former Association Executive at Retired from Kauai Board of Realtors
LEST WE FORGET…9-11-92…HURRICANE INIKI…Mrs. GUSLANDER’S CONTRACTOR ESTIMATED $27 MILLION to repair the Coco Palms…her insurance countered at $7 million. hardly a negotiation…and look at it. Clearly the insurance company did her in like they did so many other people. Had the insurance company been reasonable; COCO PALMS would have been open 30 years ago and thriving. now there is grief all the way around…how many suffered the same…yet unlike Maui, we got nothing. We had 1/2 the damages of Maui, why not 1/2 a $Billion to help us…plenty people their property still not repaired.