Next-door
wedding businesses
spur opposition in
Aina Haina

Bayer Estate's proposal
for the historic neighborhood
prompts 3 hours of testimony

By Ian Lind
Star-Bulletin

Opponents of a proposed commercial wedding service at a historic Aina Haina beach-front home have urged city planners to turn down a permit, saying "no more, enough is enough."

They cited an existing wedding business at next-door Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church, saying it brings noise, traffic and disruption to the small neighborhood.

Backers of Bayer Estate LLC, which is seeking a conditional use permit to perform weddings six days a week at the home, say one commercial wedding business might be bad -- but two wouldn't be any worse, and might even be an improvement.

Three hours of testimony by nearly 50 people at a public hearing yesterday capped a yearlong push by Bayer Estate, formed last year by Susan Mirikitani.

She appeared at the hearing with husband Richard Mirikitani, a vice president of Castle & Cooke. Bayer Estate leased the property last year from a Mirikitani family trust.

The home was placed on the state Register of Historic Places last year, which means certain commercial activities may be permitted even if not normally allowed in residential areas.

The decision on whether to grant the permit will be made by Land Utilization Director Jan Sullivan, who must consider whether significant impacts exist which cannot be mitigated.

"If you deny this proposal, you have to deny the church, which is 10 times worse," said Helene Mirikitani, who managed the home over the past 20 years as a rental unit.

"The church has been a terrible, terrible neighbor," she told hearing officer Eileen Mark.

Mirikitani said repeated attempts to get the church leadership to address problems were ignored.

"The minister would wear a 20-gallon halo, and parishioners, a 10-gallon halo. They said everything is for the church," Mirikitani said. "But they never considered the neighbors once."

But opponents, led by Gregg Kashiwa, a lifelong resident of the area, said the Bayer Estate proposal is "only a back door that allows commercial businesses in our residential neighborhood."

Kashiwa said approval of the proposal would give a green light to other homes that could also seek historic designation in order to pursue similar plans.

State Rep. David Stegmaier, who represents the Hawaii Kai area, said approval "would open a Pandora's box of difficulties for you as land use planners."

The city will accept written comments until July 29, then Sullivan is expected to make a decision within a week.