Ruling lets Turtle Bay pursue permits while lawsuit proceeds
A state circuit judge has given Kuilima Resort Co., the developer of Turtle Bay, permission to continue pursuing subdivision permits that would bring 3,500 new hotel and condominium units to an otherwise rural area stretching from Kawela Bay to Kahuku Point.
Concerned North Shore residents and Local 5, the hotel worker's union that has been pursuing a consumer boycott of Turtle Bay Resort since 2003, sued late last year to stop the project, which is based on a 20-year-old master plan.
The suit had sought a preliminary injunction to keep the city from issuing any permits while the lawsuit is in progress.
The judge's ruling yesterday gives Turtle Bay the right to continue with its plans while the lawsuit is pending, said Doug Carlson, spokesman for Kuilima Resort.
The ruling "allows the project to move forward and deliver long-awaited benefits to the local community, including greater beach access, more jobs and affordable housing," Carlson said.
Contentious issues have surfaced in the community since Oaktree Capital, which acquired Turtle Bay in 1999 and has since spent $60 million upgrading the hotel, announced its intention in March to move forward on a development plan that was approved years ago. Turtle Bay Resort's master plan, which included five lodging structures, was expected to be completed by 1996 but never came to fruition because of financial problems.
The union also is pursuing legislation that would keep the city from approving Turtle Bay's proposed expansion without requiring updated environmental, cultural, social and infrastructure studies, said Eric Gill, financial secretary-treasurer for Local 5.
Last week, more than 50 North Shore community and union members asked the Honolulu City Council to instruct the Honolulu Department of Planning not to issue any permits to Turtle Bay without more closely scrutinizing the resort's plans and their potential impacts. The city deferred comment on their request on the advice of city attorneys due to litigation.
Carol Philips, a North Shore board member and resident of Haleiwa, said she and others are frustrated by the city's lack of response and the judge's ruling.
"I'm disappointed that the judge did not grant a preliminary injunction and I'm extremely concerned about the traffic impacts of this project as well as the potential for it to impact property taxes and the long-term sustainability of our community," Philips said.